Tesla is rolling out a new incentive to encourage drivers to switch from gas to electric. Starting now, anyone trading in a gas or hybrid vehicle toward a new Tesla will receive 2,000 free Supercharger miles, adding a little extra motivation to go electric.
2,000 Free Supercharger Miles
Tesla typically charges for Supercharger use by the kWh; however, to make this deal more consumer-friendly, they’re advertising it as 2,000 free Supercharger miles. The exact value of those 2,000 miles will vary depending on the buyer’s vehicle, since a Model X uses more energy than, say, a Model 3. Supercharger rates also vary by time of day and region.
The Value of the Promotion
To give you a rough idea of the value here, let’s take a Model Y, for example, which gets about 3.5 miles per kWh. While Supercharger rates also vary, they hover around $0.40 per kWh. Given these values, 2,000 miles would be roughly equivalent to 570 kWh of charging, which at 40 cents per kWh would be about $228 USD.
While the value of the promotion is probably much lower than buyers would expect, it does make trading in a vehicle more appealing, and not having to pay for Supercharging during a road trip is a nice perk.
Promotion Requirements
To qualify for the promotion, the trade-in must be a gas or hybrid vehicle — EV trade-ins don’t count. The free Supercharger miles will automatically appear in the buyer’s Tesla account and will expire two years after the vehicle’s delivery date.
It’s worth noting that idle fees and congestion fees at Superchargers still apply, so drivers need to move their cars once charging completes to avoid extra fees.
Pre-owned vehicles are also not eligible for this offer.
Lease Price Changes
Tesla is really starting to expand the number of promotions it offers. This promotion comes as lease prices in the U.S. are about to increase. After recently lowering lease rates by up to 23%, Tesla has announced that lease prices will go up again starting November 4th.
The increase will vary by model, with some vehicles seeing as much as an $80 monthly rise. This effectively undoes much of Tesla’s previous lease discount, returning rates closer to their earlier levels before the recent cuts.
While the value of this promotion isn’t huge, we like how it encourages Supercharger use. Many new owners don’t know how to use a Supercharger, and while it couldn’t be easier, offering free Supercharging gets people to try it out. These buyers are likely to continue using Superchargers, and Tesla will easily recoup its costs.
