Tesla seller pockets rebate
A Tesla has been sold by its owner for $76,000 just three days after they received it, allowing them to pocket the $8,625 clean car rebate despite barely driving the vehicle.
The Trade Me auction for the 2022 Model 3 closed on March 27 and was only just shy of the $76,143 retail price for such vehicles, which includes a $268 vehicle registration, a $1,375 delivery fee and a $400 order fee.
Tesla this month hiked its prices meaning the seller would likely have paid less than the current retail price.
The Auckland man, who originally bought the car with cash and received the maximum government rebate for zero and low-emissions vehicles, says he sold the Model 3 because he had decided to pay down his mortgage.
Users of the online marketplace had mixed reactions to the sale, with some criticising the seller for profiting off a taxpayer-funded scheme, and others supporting him for making the most out of high demand for Teslas, reports Stuff.
Ewan Delany, a Ministry of Transport spokesman, says if a trader were to apply for the clean car discount they must complete a statutory declaration stating, “is not intended to be sold, and is not intended to be offered for sale, within three months of first registration”. He adds it is a crime to make a false declaration.
He notes the ministry does not expect the buying and selling of electric vehicles for profit using the feebate to become a large-scale problem.
Delany says anyone importing more than three vehicles or selling more than six cars in a six-month period is deemed a motor vehicle trader and with that came obligations.
