You ordered your Tesla, now what? Here are the next steps and wait times after you order your Tesla Model S, 3, X, Y. I haven’t pre-ordered the Cybertruck or Roadster so I can’t speak for that.
It is a surreal feeling you can place an order for a car, to your specifications and not have to negotiate the price from the comfort of your home with just a few clicks and a $100 deposit. It wasn’t always $100, in the past, Tesla accepted $2,500 but was fully refundable. The current $100 deposit is non-refundable.
Between the order and delivery, you have some tasks to complete which the Tesla Account section will navigate you through. The time you have depends on the delivery which can vary widely. Tesla does advertise the approximate wait time to delivery but this can very. There’s been instances where Tesla is able to match a vehicle THE SAME DAY and where people have waited weeks and even months beyond their original estimated delivery window. I do believe otherwise, most deliveries happen within the window.
Registration Details
Upon placing your order, you need to complete your registration details. This includes verifying your name, address and contact details. This is important as it will allow them to know where to deliver your vehicle and to check against their database to see if they can match you with a vehicle.
Driver’s License
Next, you will be asked to upload the front and back of your driver’s license. The driver’s license should be current and not expired.
Insurance
This will vary depending on your state insurance regulations. In some states, like California, you can use your existing insurance. Some states will require you to have your new car’s VIN (vehicle identification number) before you can get a quote and upload your insurance. Otherwise, you can upload your current insurance as a placeholder until you are required to purchase insurance. Again, check your state.
Trade-in
You will be asked to enter the details if you plan on trading in a vehicle. Trading in a vehicle may seem to be a great non-hassle way to sell your car and count it against your downpayment for your Tesla. However, similar to other car dealers, you will not get the best value. It also seems to appear to become worse in terms of value you will get from your trade in. Tesla is not in the business of selling used cars especially non-Teslas. If you want maximum value, you should sell your care through private party. Next best would be to try companies such as Carmax, Vroom, SHIFT, Carvana and other used car chains.
Payment Method
Buying a car is no chump change. Kudos to those who can pay cash. To the rest of us who need to finance, you can easily get a quote from Tesla finance by going through their process through the Tesla portal. As long as your credit report isn’t locked, you can get a quote with in 2-3 days. Therefore, it may be wise to wait till you get a VIN before you go through this step. If you want Tesla to match a quote you found outside, you may email autofinance@tesla.com and ratematch@tesla.com.
Wait
This is the hard part. You wait. As of Aug 2021, the wait is even more long. At the time this blog was written, the estimated delivery date for a Model Y LR is Jan. 2022. Performance is 6-7 week so just short of 2 months.