Up the ante on employee benefits and perks at your company, and you can automatically improve engagement within your team. One company that gets this right is Tesla, a brand known for innovation and growth. Tesla employee benefits are recognized across the industry for setting high standards in how a company supports its workforce. These benefits not only attract skilled professionals but also help keep employees motivated, loyal, and inspired to contribute to Tesla’s mission of sustainable innovation.

To attract and retain top talent, the company provides a range of perks that enhance employees’ physical, mental, financial, and social well-being. Tesla employs around 110,000 people worldwide, many of whom are highly skilled specialists. Keeping them happy and engaged remains one of the electric car company’s top priorities.

Below, we explore the top six perks and benefits available to Tesla’s workforce.

What Makes Tesla’s Employee Benefits Unique?

Tesla employee benefits are distinctive because they are built around the company’s mission and culture of innovation. Rather than treating perks as simple add-ons, Tesla designs its benefits to enhance every stage of the employee experience. Each program, from health coverage and training to stock ownership and wellness, supports both professional growth and personal well-being.

A key reason Tesla benefits for employees stand out is their close connection to the company’s high-performance environment. Tesla attracts people who enjoy tackling complex challenges and rewards them with opportunities to learn, lead, and grow. The company’s comprehensive training, stock purchase plans, and wellness programs all reflect its commitment to developing world-class talent.

Purpose also plays a major role in the value of Tesla company benefits. Employees are not only building their careers but also contributing to a global mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. This shared sense of purpose gives Tesla work benefits a deeper meaning that goes beyond financial rewards.

In essence, Tesla employee benefits are designed to attract, motivate, and retain exceptional individuals. They combine purpose, growth, and recognition in a way that makes working at Tesla an experience unlike any other.

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Top Tesla Employee Benefits & Perks to Inspire Your Offering

1. Tesla Employee Discounts on Merchandise and Products

Tesla offers employee discounts of up to 35% on their merchandise and a range of services, including travel, childcare, and entertainment. ‍

Tesla merchandise is in high demand, even among employees. In 2019, to soften the blow of countrywide layoffs and store closures, Tesla set up employee-only pop-up shops at its Nevada Gigafactory. They called this event "Merch Madness." Company swag and other products were sold out in record time.  ‍

Many people ask whether Tesla employees get a discount on Tesla cars or if they are given a Tesla car when joining the company. The simple answer is ‘no.’ However, according to That Tesla Channel, employees are sometimes offered a company car to share among a group of workers or use as a personal vehicle. ‍

They also offer limited-time referral programs with purchasing incentives such as free supercharging for life.

2. Tesla Disability Insurance and Protection Benefits

Tesla offers excellent disability insurance for employees. This includes long-term disability, where the company will pay 60% of the employee’s salary should the person be unable to work due to medical incapacity. The maximum benefit is $5,000. ‍

For short-term disability, Tesla will pay 66.7% of the employee’s salary for up to 17 weeks. The maximum here is $1,000 per week. ‍

Naturally, the company has stringent safety regulations to prevent accidents from happening in the first place. Laurie Shelby, Vice President of EHS at Tesla, wrote a post titled "Becoming the Safest Car Factory in the World" for the company's blog. In it, she outlines Tesla’s efforts to make the factory safer and more comfortable for employees.

3. Top-notch training

Because Tesla sits at the crossroads of being an automotive, clean energy, and tech company, it has high standards for its workforce. It’s no surprise, then, that learning and development is a top Tesla employee perk. During the company's 2017 third-quarter earnings call, Elon Musk famously said, "So the little guy better have a heck of a lot more skill. That is why our standards are high... They're high because if they're not high, we will die."‍

To keep employees at the top of their game with cutting-edge technical skills, the company opened the Tesla Learning Center in Fremont, California. Here, workers are continuously trained in the latest technologies used to build their highly specialized cars.

4. Comprehensive healthcare and insurance

Tesla employee benefits extend to comprehensive health insurance. The company offers coverage for basic healthcare, medication, medical supplies, and services. ‍

In addition, benefits include Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance, where beneficiaries can get a lump-sum compensation of two years’ salary.

5. Financial benefits

Tesla employees can sign up for Tesla’s 401K Program after their first paycheck. On top of that, they enjoy Life Insurance and additional benefits, up to a maximum of $1,000,000. ‍

Through its Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), employees can get 15% discounts on Tesla stock twice a year during predetermined buying periods.

Related: 11 Awesome Google Benefits and Perks for Employees

6. Wellness and paid-time-off benefits

One of the best benefits for Tesla employees is parental leave. The company offers 12 weeks of maternity leave and seven weeks of paternity leave for new parents. It also provides fitness perks in the form of an on-site gym and fitness classes.‍

When it comes to PTO (Paid-Time-Off), Tesla is one of dozens of large tech companies offering salaried employees unlimited vacation days. However, employees cannot accrue unused vacation hours, so employers aren't obligated to pay it out. The actual time off has to be negotiated and agreed upon with employees’ supervisors. ‍

Unlimited vacation time is proving to be a positive for companies that like to attract younger employees who prefer more flexibility. It is also rarely abused; 1% of companies that have tried out this policy report greater trust and responsibility in the team. Providing more freedom results in happier employees who are also more productive. As such, it’s an excellent perk for both the employees and the company.

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Key Takeaways

The Tesla employee benefits and perks that the company offers sit right up there with some of its biggest tech peers, including Facebook, Bloomberg, Airbnb, Visa, and Google. ‍

To stay competitive and retain your best talent, it’s important to learn from other top companies and offer your employees great benefits packages. This shows that, as a company, you value them and their well-being.

Where swag fits into Tesla’s employee benefits strategy?

If you’re thinking about how to build a more engaging employee experience based on Tesla's benefits, you should also consider swag.

Here’s why:

✅ Strengthens relationships: Shows appreciation to employees, especially during milestones like work anniversaries.

✅ Drives engagement: Encourages interaction with your brand.

✅ Supports company culture: Reinforces your company’s values and fosters a sense of belongingness.

✅ Scales across use cases: Perfect for onboarding, events, milestones, and more.

✅ Boosts brand visibility: Keeps your company top-of-mind in everyday settings.

Done right, swag is more than just an employee benefit… It’s a strategy.