Sunrun Vs. Tesla Solar: Which Company Is Better?

Our Pick For Best by Cost – Tesla Solar

Since both companies have similar pricing in practice, we have to recommend Tesla from a value-to-cost perspective. Its products are excellent, and since customer service is also about equal between these providers, Tesla takes the win in terms of value for your money.

Warranties Offered: Sunrun Vs. Tesla

The warranty coverage for your solar array is another crucial consideration to make. The warranty can cover equipment damage, faulty installation, and the efficiency of your solar system. Warranties are important no matter where you live, but they can be extra helpful in areas where extreme weather puts them at risk.

Sunrun offers an equipment warranty for 10 to 25 years on its panels, solar inverters and batteries, depending on the brand. It also offers 10 years of coverage for workmanship. 

However, if you lease your system from Sunrun, the company includes a 25-year, all-inclusive warranty plus roof leak protection, which is outstanding. Whether or not it’ll deliver on that warranty is another question.

Tesla includes a 25-year power production warranty plus a 10-year workmanship warranty. This isn’t quite as good as the leasing warranty from Sunrun, but it’s about the same as the warranty you’d get if you purchased or financed solar panels from Sunrun.

Our Pick For Best Warranties – Sunrun

Overall, these companies have about equal warranty coverage for customers who buy or finance their systems. However, if you plan on leasing your system, Sunrun’s warranty coverage is superior.

Coverage Area: Sunrun Vs. Tesla

Both Sunrun and Tesla are national companies that have massive service areas in the U.S. Sunrun provides service to 20 states, including:

• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Texas
• Vermont
• Wisconsin

It also covers Puerto Rico and Washington D.C.

Tesla is a nationwide company serving parts of all 50 states via a massive network of third-party installers and service providers.

Our Pick For Best Coverage Area – Tesla Solar

Tesla is the winner in terms of service area size. It covers the entire country, which is about double the coverage that Sunrun provides.

Solar Panel Performance: Sunrun Vs. Tesla

Both Sunrun and Tesla install top-tier, monocrystalline solar panels, so the equipment is above-average when it comes to durability and performance. Sunrun installs equipment from LONGi, Costco, Enphase, and, ironically, Tesla (but only for the Powerwall). Tesla only installs its own manufactured home solar products.

As a tech company, Tesla solar systems are considered to be a bit more desirable. They’re each 425 watts, and although the company doesn’t share efficiency specs, they are considered to be on par with leading options like SunPower. 

Tesla also provides the Tesla Powerwall battery, which is one of the best battery storage solutions on the market.

Our Pick For Best Panel Performance – Tesla Solar

Both companies provide outstanding panel brands that are sure to last and perform for many years. Tesla doesn’t post its panels’ efficiency specifications, so it’s tough to say which panels are better. Still, we’d go with Tesla for performance and durability, especially given the company’s reputation for cutting-edge technology.

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Customer Experience: Sunrun Vs. Tesla

The overall customer experience these companies provide is somewhat similar in some cases. Unfortunately, both providers have a reputation for below-average customer service, mostly attributed to the companies’ size and the fact that they outsource installations to third parties.

We’ll include some customer reviews for each company below to give you an idea of what you can expect.

What Customers Say About Sunrun

Sunrun has a reputation for poor customer service, with many homeowners complaining about the lack of service after installation. Calling on the warranty for coverage is, unfortunately, one of the biggest issues.

Sunrun pushes leases, which are less beneficial for the homeowner in the long run, providing fewer savings and fewer solar incentives, including the federal tax credit. As such, the company gets negative attention for promising energy savings that don’t always come to fruition. Many customers complain about the following:

• Misleading sales tactics
• Pushy salespeople
• Poor customer service following contract signing
• Slow response times to warranty claims
• Issues with the equipment that go unfixed, despite warranty coverage
• System size not matching energy needs

Still, there are many customers who seem satisfied with the work and the products, especially if they knew what they were getting into when they signed a solar lease.

Below, we’ll include a positive and negative review for Sunrun pulled from real customers:

“Sunrun does not take care of solar as promised. I have been trying to get someone out here to look at our system since Aug 1. It keeps blowing the breaker. This could result in a fire. I have called and emailed 2-4 times a day. Per the customer service manager yesterday I was to get a call today. Still have not heard anything. They have salesmen that promise you things and don’t follow through. I am getting very frustrated.” — Charles G. via BBB

“Very professional experience and saving tons of money on power! Our Sales rep Josh did an excellent job on updating us throughout the process. I highly recommend going through this company to get solar!” — Brooke H. via Yelp

What Customers Say About Tesla

Tesla has some of the same issues with customer support as Sunrun, so many of the negative reviews mention things like poor response times and warranty claim processes. Most of these issues seem to stem from the third-party installers assigned to installations.

There are also countless positive reviews, so it’s clear that the experience you can expect is highly dependent on the installer that’s assigned to your solar project. Some customers are over the moon about the quality of the equipment and how much they save on energy bills, while others are displeased with a lack of communication.

Below are some reviews that showcase the two ends of the spectrum you might experience when going solar with Tesla:

“I will like to thank the Falcon Heavy team (one of Tesla’s local solar installers). Loved that they showed up with their mask and protection equipment on time every day. They were really clean and organized. Respectful at all times. The installation process was easy thanks to the crew.  Their willingness to explain everything in detail in a professional manner [was outstanding]. I highly recommend this team.” — K.C. via Yelp

“My understanding is that Tesla Energy Solar is more of a call center to sub contract your work to a local company. I am disappointed with Tesla Energy because the salesperson said they would be with me for the whole process, through the entire warranty.  It seems that person was only interested in getting me to sign the contract.  Since that point, he has been aware of my frustrations with my installer but has shown little interest in getting the project finished.” — Greg T. via Yelp

Our Pick for Best Customer Experience – Tie

Unfortunately, both Sunrun and Tesla Solar have some issues with customer service that seem to stem from the companies’ size and their outsourcing business model. We would rank both providers equally in terms of customer experience.

Final Verdict: Sunrun Vs. Tesla Solar

Overall, we would recommend Tesla over Sunrun. Tesla has some of the best equipment in the industry, and it matches the prices of competitors to keep installation costs down. It also doesn’t accept leases or power purchase agreements, both of which are less appealing options overall for homeowners looking to go solar.

Both companies can cause some issues with customer service, although your experience largely depends on which third-party company is assigned to your installation. The table below provides a quick side-by-side comparison of these two companies.

Our Top Pick: Tesla Solar

Tesla gets our recommendation over Sunrun. While both companies have a reputation for below-average customer service in some cases, Tesla provides outstanding value for the money and price matching to remain affordable and accessible. It also pushes payment options that are more valuable to you as the solar customer as well.

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