The new year will bring a new look to the online account for Tesla lease holders that will give them greater control over their lease options with Tesla.
In an email sent to lease holders tonight, the automaker says a “New Leasing Experience” will launch in early 2021. The email provides more information on the changes and what they can expect to see when the new lease management portal goes live.
Some of the changes include basic actions like viewing invoices, current account balances, and managing payment options directly “from the convenience of your Tesla account.”
Just received, this is new: purchase your leased Tesla? pic.twitter.com/DwD7WX4HTF
— Al≡xandra 💖 T≡SLA 🌹 (@MmeAlexandraS) December 10, 2020
One of the more interesting actions is the ability to purchase your leased Tesla. While current Model S and X lease holders can already do this, Model 3 and Y lease holders do not have this option, as Tesla wants those cars back to build its fleet of Robotaxis.
Even though this appears to be a form email sent to all lease holders, additional changes to the website hint this buyout option could be coming to the Model 3/Y. Under the section “Purchase your Tesla”, it now says “Model 3 and Y are not eligible at this time” (emphasis added).
Tesla has always been very clear that the Model 3 and Y had no buyout options, so this change in language could mean Tesla is softening their stance.
Why would Tesla make this change?
One potential reason is that the first Model 3 leases that began in the US in 2019 on two-year terms are going to be coming to an end soon. With the likelihood of a Robotaxi network being operational in 6 months unlikely, Tesla may not want to purchase all these cars, only to incur additional costs by either holding them, or reselling them.
We haven’t received any reports of Canadians receiving this email, but if you have let us know in the comments below or send us an email to tips@driveteslacanada.ca.
