How much $10,000 invested in Tesla stock 10 years ago is worth now?

What this question asks and why it matters (context and a note on crypto crash today)

This piece answers a specific reproducible question: if you invested $10,000 in Tesla on 2016-01-29, what would that holding be worth at the close on 2026-01-29 using a single chosen data provider and price type. The phrase crypto crash today appears in searches that mix interest in stocks and crypto, so we note it here and keep the calculation focused on stock data and reproducible sources. For historical closes you can start from a Yahoo Finance history table like TSLA historical prices.

To be precise about what we mean by “worth” we use the chosen provider’s closing price on the buy date and the chosen provider’s closing price on the end date. That makes the result a market value at the selected close price and allows anyone to reproduce the arithmetic using the same provider and price type. The Yahoo table for specific historical ranges is one reproducible source (example range including Jan 29 2016).

Stock splits and the exact close price matter a lot for share counts and final value. Tesla executed a 5-for-1 split in 2020 and a 3-for-1 split in 2022, which change the number of shares you would own from a pre-2020 purchase and therefore change the ending value; this is documented in Tesla’s investor relations announcements and should be applied when you compute shares using historical prices Tesla investor relations press release.

Search interest around crypto crash today often brings readers to comparisons between single-stock winners and volatile crypto assets. This article stays focused on the Tesla calculation while offering a parallel comparison method later so readers can compare apples-to-apples using authoritative series for each asset class.

Which data sources to use and how to make the calculation reproducible

Pick two authoritative inputs and record them: the official split notices for split dates and a single price provider for historical closing data. For splits, Tesla’s investor relations notices give the official split factors and dates you must apply, so record them from the company’s releases to avoid guesswork Tesla investor relations press release.

For daily price data, use a provider that publishes historical closing prices in a downloadable table and stick with it for both the buy and end dates. Yahoo Finance publishes daily historical closing prices for TSLA and is suitable for reproducible buy-and-hold comparisons when you document whether you used ‘close’ or ‘adjusted close’ TSLA historical data on Yahoo Finance.

Decide in advance whether you will use the raw close price or the adjusted close. If you use adjusted close you do not need to apply manual split adjustments, but you must state that choice. If you use raw close, you must apply the cumulative split factor manually. Record the provider, the exact dates, and the price type, and save a local copy or screenshot so others can reproduce your steps.

Step-by-step calculation: shares, splits, ending value, and CAGR

Start with the buy price, then compute shares, then apply splits, then multiply by the end price to get ending value. The arithmetic sequence is simple and must be followed in order: shares = investment / buy_price; apply cumulative split factor; ending value = shares_after_splits * end_price. Use the same provider for both prices to avoid mismatches TSLA historical data on Yahoo Finance.

After you have the ending value, compute the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to express the result as an annualized number. The standard CAGR formula and worked examples are documented in public references that show the exact calculation steps so you can reproduce the percentage result CAGR formula and example.

Notes on exclusions: these calculations exclude trading commissions, taxes, and any margin or leverage costs. Tesla has not paid material cash dividends for the period in question, so dividend adjustments are generally not required for this buy-and-hold comparison when using raw closes and split factors.

Worked example: assembling the inputs (prices and split factors) without publishing final numbers yet

Go to your chosen price provider and retrieve the closing price for TSLA on 2016-01-29. Record whether you copied the raw close or the adjusted close and save the page or download the CSV for reproducibility; Yahoo Finance offers a downloadable history table for this purpose TSLA historical data on Yahoo Finance.

Next, retrieve the closing price for TSLA on 2026-01-29 from the same provider and save that entry too. Using the same provider avoids discrepancies that can arise from different intraday or timezone conventions.

Apply the split factors to shares purchased before 2020. Specifically, for shares bought on 2016-01-29 you would apply a 5-for-1 split in 2020 and a 3-for-1 split in 2022, which together multiply the original share count by 5 and then by 3. Record the official split announcements and their effective dates to document how you adjusted share counts Tesla investor relations press release.

Save the exact URLs, the time zone or exchange convention noted by the price provider, and a screenshot of the rows you used. These steps let anyone repeat the arithmetic and confirm your final numbers.

Putting the numbers together: ending value and annualized return (with interpretation)

Compute shares as investment divided by the chosen buy price. Then multiply those shares by the cumulative split factor, which for this example is the product of the 5-for-1 and the 3-for-1 splits. Finally, multiply the post-split shares by the chosen end-price to get the ending market value; use the same Yahoo Finance close type you saved earlier for both dates to maintain consistency TSLA historical data on Yahoo Finance.

Once you have the ending value, plug the starting value, the ending value, and the number of years into the CAGR formula to get an annualized return. The standard formula and examples are widely documented and show the exact steps to compute the annual rate of return that would compound the initial investment to the ending value over the holding period CAGR formula and example.

When you present results, state the provider, the exact price type, the dates used, and the exclusions such as commissions and taxes; for portfolio and tax context see Finance Police’s tax efficient investing guide tax efficient investing strategies.

How Tesla’s 10-year performance compares to the S&P 500 and Bitcoin over the same period

If you want an apples-to-apples comparison, pull the S&P 500 official daily values from the Federal Reserve’s FRED series for the same date pair and compute a buy-and-hold result using the index values. FRED’s S&P 500 series is an authoritative source for index values you can use in a comparative calculation S&P 500 daily series on FRED. For related guides see our investing resources.

For a parallel crypto comparison, download Bitcoin’s daily historical price series from CoinMarketCap for the same buy and end dates and compute percentage change and CAGR on that series. CoinMarketCap provides the daily historical table you need to reproduce the same calculations for Bitcoin Bitcoin historical data on CoinMarketCap.

Be aware of limits when comparing a single stock to an index or to crypto. Index values reflect aggregated price changes and can include dividends if you use a total return series, while an individual stock does not capture the same diversification. Cryptocurrency markets differ in trading hours, custody risks, and volatility, so treat cross-asset comparisons as illustrative, not prescriptive.

Common mistakes and pitfalls when recreating this calculation

A frequent error is mixing adjusted close values with manual split adjustments. Using adjusted close and then applying split factors again double-adjusts the data and skews the result, so pick one approach and state it clearly when you publish your numbers TSLA historical data on Yahoo Finance.

Another pitfall is failing to apply the cumulative split factor or applying splits out of order. For pre-2020 purchases you must apply the 5-for-1 split and then the 3-for-1 split to get the correct post-split share count, and you should cite the official split notices when you report your steps Tesla investor relations press release.

Finally, omit commissions and taxes from the headline figure only if you state that omission clearly. Many readers compare gross ending value without considering real-world trading costs or tax treatment, which matter for the net outcome.

Practical scenarios: what different outcomes would have meant for different investors

Scenario 1, a long-term small investor: a buy-and-hold saver who invested $10,000 in 2016 and left it untouched until 2026 would measure success by the ending market value and the CAGR. Use the reproducible checklist and a consistent provider to compute the metric that matters to you; small investors may also consider micro investment platforms like micro investment apps.

Scenario 2, a portfolio builder: someone who rebalanced periodically would have measured Tesla’s contribution to portfolio return differently. Rebalancing changes exposure and realized gains, so the raw buy-and-hold ending value does not capture those dynamics.

Scenario 3, a trader or timed investor: intraday timing, taxes on short-term gains, and trading costs change practical outcomes. Real-world net results depend on commissions, tax brackets, and whether positions were held in taxable accounts or tax-advantaged accounts.

Summary, reproducibility checklist, and next steps for readers

Takeaway: follow a clear, reproducible sequence, record your provider and price type, apply the official split factors, and compute the ending value and CAGR using standard formulas. If you do that, anyone can reproduce your numbers from the same primary sources.

For comparative checks, pull the S&P 500 series from FRED and Bitcoin history from CoinMarketCap so each asset’s result is computed from its authoritative source S&P 500 daily series on FRED.

FinancePolice is an educational reference that aims to make these steps clear and reproducible. Verify the numbers with the primary sources before using them in any financial decision.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.