While Tesla once claimed it would be producing a $25,000 hatchback and debuted its Model 3 at $35,000, the idea of a budget Tesla has since fallen by the wayside in favor of the brand’s more upscale models.
For example, the Model Y is the brand’s most popular vehicle (and is, by some estimates, the most popular electric vehicle in the world). The cheapest Model Y, the “Long Range” model, has a base price of almost $55,000. And with extra costs for things like other colors or usage of the enhanced autopilot or self-driving features, that price can go up substantially.
These high costs, alongside the perceived clout and social status conferred on the car, have given the brand an air of luxury. However, some customers are complaining that the buying experience is less than luxurious.
In a video with over 558,000 views as of Saturday, TikTok user Olya (@olyachepurko) documented her experience buying one of Tesla’s vehicles.
@olyachepurko What almost $60,000 gets you #tesla #teslapickup #tesladay #teslaexperience #teslamodely #modely #dirtytesla #teslafail #teslacar #teslakeys #dealershipfail #carwash #managerplease #whitetesla #suckyservice #badservice #teslacharger #teslaproblems #teslaprosandcons #electriccar #ohnono #ohnonononoo #dobetter ♬ Oh No Oh No Oh No No No – Dubskie
According to Olya, she says she was told to go wait outside before getting her car. She was then not approached for “almost an hour.”
When she actually did receive the vehicle, she says it had a charge of only 62% — presenting a problem for Olya as they had arrived from out of state.
“It was also dirty to the point you could write on it,” she added in the text overlaying the video. She says she paid almost $60,000 for the vehicle.
Overall, she rated the experience “-10/10.”
For context, many Tesla buyers report that their car also did not come fully charged. That said, several noted that one can simply request that the dealership charge the car fully before pickup.
“It depends on the location where you pick it up,” explained a commenter on Reddit. “Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t (or, more generally, the guy that’s supposed [to] forgets), but you can certainly call ahead and ask them to do so. All delivery locations have charging capacity. I think mine was charged to just about 80%.”
As far as the dirt is concerned, several Tesla buyers have made similar complaints in the past, though the complaint does not appear common. In one case, a user on a Tesla forum complained that his new car “look[ed] like it went through [a] sandstorm” before pickup.
For her part, Olya writes in a comment, “Obviously we knew it wouldn’t be luxury, just wanted clean and good service.” She later added that she got the car in part because “[they] like the tech aspect of it the most.”
In the comments section, users shared Olya’s take on the experience.
“The bare minimum you would expect is a clean, charged car and efficient service,” one user wrote. “It’s not like she expected caviar.”
“When you buy a new gas vehicle they fill it up, diesel trucks have def fluid topped off too,” another added. “I’d think a new electric car would come 100% charged.”
Some users complained about Tesla cars themselves.
“Tesla has sold me on not buying a Tesla,” stated a user.
“Wait until you need it serviced,” joked a second.
We’ve reached out to Olya via TikTok comment and Tesla via email.
