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Tesla CEO Elon Musk points upward as he stands in front of a stainless steel Cybertruck

Buying a Used Tesla Could be the Affordable Answer to Your EV Dreams

Tesla has quickly established itself as a dominant figure in the world of electric cars. With its focus on purely-electric vehicles, genuine sustainability, and an improved driver interface that has never been seen from other car manufacturers, it is easy to see why Tesla cars and SUVs have become so desirable. In recent years, the …

Tesla has quickly established itself as a dominant figure in the world of electric cars. With its focus on purely-electric vehicles, genuine sustainability, and an improved driver interface that has never been seen from other car manufacturers, it is easy to see why Tesla cars and SUVs have become so desirable. In recent years, the company has worked towards producing more affordable vehicles to fit a lower budget, but until then, buying a used Tesla could be the best way to afford one.

Buying a used electric vehicle

Buying a used electric vehicle can seem intimidating for some buyers, especially those who are new to the electric car scene. If you go directly to the manufacturer, you can often find Tesla models that have been inspected by the company themselves, but if that isn’t an option, you can also check service records. What most people don’t realize with electric cars is that they don’t require the same kind of maintenance as gasoline-powered cars, and there is potential for them to be more reliable to buy used in the future.

Elon Musk speaking at a Tesla event in China
Elon Musk speaks about Tesla in China | Visual China Group via Getty Images/Visual China Group

Benefits of buying a used Tesla

According to Edmunds, there are a lot of reasons why buying a used electric vehicle can be a great idea. For EVs like Tesla, the value of the car diminishes pretty quickly over the years, which isn’t uncommon for cars in general when they are no longer brand new. For some drivers, buying a Tesla slight used can mean the difference between being able to afford one comfortably or having to make a choice of other EV cars that they find less exciting and missing out on all of the cool hidden Easter Eggs.

A blue 2015 Tesla Model S electric sedan under rows of lights
2015 Tesla Model S | Jasper Juinen/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Waiting for the right time

If you are waiting to buy an electric vehicle, sometimes buying one used is genuinely the best option. For companies as new as Tesla, there aren’t a lot of used models that look old or outdated, and because the company is able to complete over-the-air updates to the system, you’re almost on the same playing field as buying one brand new — though, of course, it still isn’t the same. For many Tesla fans, buying a used model is the more affordable option and can save you money whether you’re on a tight budget or just not looking to give in to new-car prices.

Side view of a red Tesla model 3
Side view of a red Tesla Model 3 electric car from Tesla Motors under a dramatic sky in the San Francisco Bay Area | Smith Collection/Gado, Getty Images

RELATED: You Can Get a Federal Rebate Incentive on a Used Tesla?

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