It’s safe to say that the $25,000 Tesla “Model 2” — or whatever it was going to be called — probably isn’t happening. Musk and Tesla have other priorities given everything that’s happening with the company right now. Don’t fret though. If something like a Nissan Leaf or Chevy Bolt won’t do and you just have to have a Tesla, $25,000 Teslas have existed for awhile now. You just have to get a used one.
Right now around the country, there’s a good number of used Teslas for sale for $25,000 and under. A majority of them are Model 3s, and Hertz Car Sales still has a few left for sale. After the rental agency made a bad bet on trying to electrify its fleet, it had a glut of Teslas for sale. Take this 2022 Model 3 with 85,265 miles located in Seattle. Hertz is asking just $23,313 for it.
If you’re willing to deal with a lot of miles, you can find Model 3s under $20,000. This 2019 Model 3 in West Covina, California has 215,545 miles on it. But it’s priced at $16,950.
If you want something a bit more luxurious with more room, early Model S’ are old enough now that they’re dirt cheap. Possibly one of the best used EV deals right now is this 2013 Model S. A one owner car, it has just under 111,000 miles on it and this Bay Shore, New York Acura dealer is asking just $12,749. And there are more like that. Excluding ones with questionable histories like wrecks and thefts, I was able to find 734 Model S’ currently listed for sale for $25,000 and under. If you need a bit more room with your EV and you want a Tesla, you’re outta luck. There’s just a handful of Model X and Y that cheap for sale in that price range across the country.
So if you’re in the market for a cheap Tesla, they do exist. Elon probably won’t be the one to sell it to you, but you can find them if you look hard enough.