
If you’re someone with an older Tesla who’s thinking about selling it, there’s a lot of good news for you!
First of all, used Tesla prices are at an all time high—especially with the wait for current new Teslas, making this a great time to sell.
On top of that, there are more ways than ever to sell a used Tesla, and we’re going to cover those in this article today, so let’s get started!
Selling a Used Tesla—Where’s the Best Place?
If you were looking to sell a used Tesla a few years ago, there honestly weren’t a lot of options—you had to list on eBay, Craigslist, or a used car site for gasoline vehicles like AutoTrader, but the times have changed drastically in your favor! Now there are tons of sites that will give you an automatic offer on your Tesla—and even come pick it up right from your house—how’s that for convenience?
In addition to these “offer” type websites, there are also a few specialty marketplace sites that cater to electric vehicles and Teslas specifically, including some EV-only dealerships and Tesla-only websites where you can list your car for sale (even for free on some sites).
So, that begs the question, where’s the best place to sell a used Tesla?
The truth is that there are a variety of places to sell a used Tesla, and “best” really comes down to what’s the most convenient for you. We’ve broken down the most popular four ways to sell a Tesla below—so take a look at these, and then you can decide from there!
Automatic Offer Sites (Vroom, CarMax, Carvana, etc.)
We like to call sites like Vroom, CarMax, and Carvana “automatic offer” sites as you can input details about your Tesla and their algorithms come up with an offer (generally speaking, although the process is a bit more involved than that).
One downside to these sites is that there is a bit more involved because your offer typically needs to be approved before they accept it. And on top of they, they generally won’t give you extra money for Tesla-specific features (AP software, etc.).
Lastly, one thing to consider about these sites is that the offer is generally going to be lower than if you sold your Tesla outright, but that’s to be expected because they are basically dealers and need to buy the car from you for less than they’re going to sell it for.
Traditional Used Car Websites (AutoTrader, Cars.com, CarSoup, etc.)
Traditional used car websites have typically catered to gasoline cars, although they’ve gotten better in recent years about expanding their EV options, specifically with Teslas.
One of the biggest downsides to these sites is that they don’t really have the searching and sorting functionality that EV buyers are looking for such as battery type, range, etc.—they are really geared (no pun intended) to gasoline cars, so they just aren’t the best for EVs.
A good thing about these sites is that they do have a lot of traffic, mainly because they’ve been around for a long time and are quite popular, so if someone can find your Tesla on there, it’s likely that they’ll get some decent exposure.
Online Classified Websites (Craigslist, etc.)
Everyone knows Craigslist as a popular site to buy and sell all sorts of stuff (Teslas included), and it’s one place that you can use to sell your Tesla.
In the past year or so, Craigslist has started charging $5 for their car ads, which is pretty dang cheap—although it used to be free. Given that a lot of other sites charge much more, $5 isn’t bad at all (and Craigslist gets a lot of traffic too, so it’s definitely a good value).
Probably the worst part about Teslas and Craigslist is there are so many fake, scammy cars on their—especially older Model S vehicles with prices that are too good to be true—so if you’re a seller, you’re lumped in with a bunch of those vehicles that buyers have to weed through.
Tesla or EV-Specific Websites
One of the coolest things that has come up in the last few years is that there are now EV-specific sites that you can sell a used Tesla on!
This is really cool, because it allows you to find exactly what you’re looking for if you’re a buyer, and if you’re a seller, you have the option to showcase your Tesla in front of super targeted traffic (which generally means less tire kickers and people looking to buy exactly what you’re selling).
Of all the Tesla-specific sites, Find My Electric is the most polished with the best feature set, and they also have lowest prices (including a free option)—so if you’re looking to sell your Tesla, they are definitely worth checking out!
Conclusion—Selling Your Tesla Online
We’ve made it clear at this point that there are tons of different ways to sell your used Tesla online, and whatever way you choose is up to you—ultimately it needs to make sense for you, your budget, and your selling timeline—and those are things that only you can choose or know. Thanks for reading this article—and check back soon for more awesome Tesla content!
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