Tesla has ended the option for Model S and Model X owners to purchase their vehicle at lease end. A recent change on Tesla’s leasing website spotted by @Tesla_Adri indicated the change:
“All Tesla vehicles delivered on or after April 15, 2022 are not eligible for purchase,” says the Tesla leasing page. A cached version of the page previously read, “Model 3 and Model Y are not eligible at this time.”
The lease buy-out option was never available for the Model 3 and Model Y for customers at first (although dealerships were able to), but Tesla did grant a change back in February for some European and Asian markets.
As it stands now, the Model S and Model X are no longer available to be purchased at the end of a lease. With the global semiconductor shortage not over anytime soon, the used vehicle market is still hot. Tesla is better off holding onto its vehicles to resell themselves.
It’s unclear what Tesla will be doing long-term with lease-end vehicles, but many have suspected they could be used for the company’s future robotaxi network, if it ever launches.
Tesla says those leasing its vehicles can get a lease extension for up to 6 months beyond the original lease-end date.
