Tesla vs Silver: which won?
Tesla crushed Silver since 2010 — more than 242× as much.
Tesla
Winner$228,331
228× · +42.2%/yr
silver
Runner-up$945
0.94× · −0.4%/yr
$1,000 lump sum · end of 2010 → 2024
Want a different year, amount, or a third asset in the mix?
Open this in the calculator →Head to head
| Tesla | silver | |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 would be | $228,331 | $945 |
| Total return | 228× | 0.94× |
| Annual return | +42.2% | −0.4% |
| Best single year | +81% (2013) | +47% (2020) |
| Worst single year | −37% (2022) | −35% (2013) |
| Deepest drop | −67.7% | −55.3% |
| The ride | Fairly steady climb | Fairly steady climb |
The story
Put $1,000 into each at the end of 2010 and leave it alone. By the latest data, the Tesla stake is worth about $228,331 — a 228× return, or roughly +42.2% a year. The same money in Silver grew to about $945 (0.94×). Tesla wins this window decisively: more than 242× as much, or about $227,386 more on the same $1,000.
The lead didn't come on the same road. Silver's path was a fairly steady climb, while Tesla was a fairly steady climb. So Tesla managed to win while also handing investors the calmer ride of the two — the rarer combination.
Neither was a straight line. Tesla's ugliest calendar year was −37% (2022) and its worst peak-to-trough fall reached −67.7%, recovered by 2023. Silver bottomed at −35% (2013) with a deepest drop of −55.3%. If you'd sold in the worst of it, none of the headline numbers above would have been yours.
Those are nominal dollars. Prices rose about 51.5% over the same stretch, so the real, spending-power gain is smaller than the multiple suggests for both. And this is one start year out of many — pick a different year and the result can flip. Past performance never predicts the future; this is a history lesson, not advice. Run your own year and amount below.
Common questions
- Was Tesla or Silver a better investment since 2010?
- Over 2010–2024, Tesla was the better investment: $1,000 grew to about $228,331 (228×), versus about $945 (0.94×) for Silver — more than 242× as much.
- How much would $1,000 in Tesla be worth versus Silver?
- Starting at the end of 2010, $1,000 in Tesla would be worth about $228,331 today, and in Silver about $945 — a difference of roughly $227,386 on the same stake.
- Which was more volatile, Tesla or Silver?
- Silver was the wilder ride — fairly steady climb — with a deepest fall of −55.3%, while Tesla was fairly steady climb (deepest fall −67.7%).
- Did Tesla always beat Silver?
- No. This compares a single start year (2010, the first both have data for). Different entry years — especially buying after a crash versus near a peak — can change or even reverse the winner. Use the calculator to test any year.