Indeed: Usually I make test drives when deciding which car to buy, not to ensure my choice was the right one. When people can't test drive a Tesla, they aren't going to go "well, I can always return it". They're going to buy the best car they test drive.

While helping someone pick a car recently, we test drove two different models of car from the same company multiple times as well, to decide which one was the right one. It's not like Tesla's going to send out a Model 3, a Model S, and a Model X and let me try all three.

You must be very undecided if you want to try all, they are very different cars in terms of size and price. Or is the choice "should I buy an X or 3 M3's?"

> It's not like Tesla's going to send out a Model 3, a Model S, and a Model X and let me try all three.

You're trying to optimize for buying the cheapest Tesla that will work for you. Tesla is trying to optimize for making the most money they can from you. If you can not only afford a Model X but are seriously considering it, why would they put effort into possibly selling you a Model 3?

Because the Model 3 isn't your only cheaper alternative to the Model X.

Wish they'd just let you rent cars instead. A test drive is too short. And a 7 day period is too big a commitment.

Why not let me pay to rent a car, like a normal rental car place, and pay per day.

Would be cool to do anyway, but I bet a lot of people would end up falling in love with the car that way and become owners shortly after.

That is exactly how I ended up deciding on my current car. When my old vehicle was in for service, I drove the car I was considering purchasing as a rental for 3 days and really fell in love with all aspects of it (in my case a Fusion).

I used (but am not affiliated with) Turo.com to rent a model S for 2 days.

They're still offering test drives, just not in as many locations as before (also, FWIW, Tesla owners tend to be very generous in letting friends and acquaintances, sometimes total strangers, test drive their personal vehicles).

There are a lot of people who just want a Tesla. They're not shopping around to find the best car. Offering a refund means those people can buy with confidence, knowing they can return it if it's not all they expected.

Where are you getting that people who own a Tesla sometimes are very generous and let strangers test drive their cars? I can't imagine a scenario where anyone would go for that given how expensive they are and how that kind of thing just doesn't happen with cars in general.

Personal experience. Tesla owners tend to be so stoked on their cars that they want to share the experience. Seriously. I've seen multiple requests and offers on Tesla forums and apparently it's pretty common at Tesla meet-ups as well.

That is wild. I've never heard of anything like that before with cars.

This varies by country.

In Europe, cars are pretty personal items, and typically only insured for one or a few drivers. Lending your car to a friend for a day would typically involve hours on the phone to the insurance company and a few hundred euros of fees. There are apps (cuvva) which try to reduce this, but even so it'll probably be cheaper and less effort to call an Uber rather than borrow a friend's car.

In the USA, loaning a car to a friend or neighbor seems far more common.

Europe where? Maybe the UK.

Here in Italy insurance isn't particularly cheap, but there is normally no limitation whatever about "insured driver(s)", as long as the driver has a valid driving license the insurance covers accidents. (and yes you can lend your car to a friend without calling the insurance) and though I have no direct experience (as car owner), France and Spain afaik work the same.

Most, not all, of the insurance policies I've had here in the UK cover other vehicles. If you actually read the cover, it's not ever enough for lending my mate's Tesla or 911 for a bit of Friday night hooliganism. Only once had that, and I paid significantly extra for it.

It's almost always third party only - legal requirement - cover, unless you have notified the insurance and got approval first. That would usually need you as registered owner, and paying a premium, or even higher fee for not being keeper.

So I can borrow a car, get home legally, and if I cause an accident the other parties have cover against which they can claim. That's it. If it's stolen while in my care or I drive into a tree, no cover. If it catches fire, no cover. If I bash the door on a bollard or seize the engine, no cover. No cover for any of the things that might normally happen lending the thing to a friend.

I would be very surprised to learn you get full comprehensive insurance on any borrowed vehicle. That would make insurance premiums trivial to game.

>If it's stolen while in my care or I drive into a tree, no cover. If it catches fire, no cover. If I bash the door on a bollard or seize the engine, no cover. No cover for any of the things that might normally happen lending the thing to a friend.

Yes, we are talking different things.

The one you just described is a kind of "all risk" (which is commonly called "KASKO" here), it is actually rather "rare", only some firms/businesses use it for their fleet and - sometimes - private citizens for "high range" cars (such as a Tesla or a Porsche 911 might be) that are more susceptible to vandalism or theft.

But there is still a difference seemingly.

If a car is insured for fire, it is insured for fire.

If a car is insured for theft, it is insured for theft.

The above two are NOT connected in any way to the driver.

If a car is insured for "own damages" (such as running the car into a tree) , it is insured for "own damages" and in this case there might be limitations on the drivers (or an even steeper insurance tariff/rate for a "anyone driving is covered anyway").

All risk, or comprehensive as it's known here, tends to be something you age into. When younger, few can afford it, and it's often not worth it anyway when the car or motorbike is several years old and not worth so much.

Yet it's those policies that tend to cover driving other vehicles. The Third Party, Fire and Theft only policies are usually named vehicle only.

Sounds like there's quite different standard ways of doing it. :)

If I recall correctly, the SF Bay Area has quite a few Teslas on Getaround...

That artificially limits the potential reachable market though. Like a comment above says, if you don't have the retail presence, for people who want to test drive before they buy, they just won't have it on their list of options to consider. Feel's like they have to create some way for test drives to happen.

I'm not saying it's ideal. But there's a population of folks for whom Tesla is definitely on their radar, regardless of their retail presence. I live in Hawaii, and I've been following Tesla since the original Roadster. If I could have purchased one with a money-back guarantee, I would have. The real stumbling block for me was that there was no service center on Hawaii at the time. I still wouldn't recommend buying a Tesla if there isn't a service center nearby.

People who will even consider an EV will probably know Tesla and at this point know someone who owns one.

I think this is a smart idea. They can focus this money on creating more superchargers. That sells a lot more than a 20 minute test drive.

I organised a test drive, with no intention of buying the car. It was just as an "experience" day for the family.... I enjoyed it so much, I then bought a Model S. I wouldn't have bought without the test drive.

Certainly makes it hard to shop around between multiple cars. What do they expect you to do, buy each car, in turn. Return all of them within 7 days. Then re-purchase the one you preferred?

> What do they expect you to do, buy each car, in turn. Return all of them within 7 days. Then re-purchase the one you preferred?

No, they expect you to buy all of them in parallel and return all but the one you want.

I mean, it’s the model lots of people have been using with clothing since online discount retailers with generous return policy started undercutting brick-and-mortar.

There's a big difference in cost and complexity between buying a car online and buying clothing online though, especially if financing is involved (not many people are going to have the cash on hand to float on 2-3 vehicles at any one time).

I can have 7 shirts shipped to my house and they take up a very small footprint. If I'm trying to decide between 7 cars, I'm going to have a hard time finding a place to put all of them, as will most people. That's on top of having to deal with financing multiple cars just to test drive them all.

And as others have pointed out, removing financing from your credit report is not so easy even if you return the car. And I doubt most people would be able to get loans approved for multiple cars at the same time.

buying 3 cars is a little different than t shirts

The implication that the extension of the expectation from online clothing retail to online automobile retail was unreasonable was intended, yes.

This means that when you buy online, it's possible you'll be delivered someone else's 1,000 mile return. There's a reason Tesla delays titling their cars; that allows them to resell returns as new.

I was wondering the same thing. Where do all these returns go?

Dunno. I hate test drives, WAY too short to really learn much beyond a general idea of performance and how comfortable the seats are.

Buying a new car for $$$ (I keep them for at least 10 years, currently 14) is a pretty big commitment for a 10-20 minute test drive.

Imagine getting married after a 20 minute date.

I rented a model S for 2 days, I was still learning things about it when I returned it.

I guess Tesla is different, but many dealers will let you take the car for a day or two for a longer test drive if you're serious about buying the car from them. eg to make sure the car fits in you garage, it's convenient for picking up the kids, etc.

So far I bought a Acura Integra GSR, Subaru WRX, and Subaru Forester XT. It required some cajoling to get even a short test drive, even when buying a second car from the same dealer.

All 3 cars were pretty hot at the time, all 3 won car of the year or similar awards in the year I got them. I suspect if cars are in demand (and don't spend many days on the dealer lot) they minimize the test drives. If they spend months on the lot they are more generous with the test drives.

I am not sure if I understood what you meant, but they are not implying that you should buy first and then drive.

The policy is about giving more time to return the car if the customer didn't do a test drive before.

At Model 3's early days, a lot of people bought the car without having the option to take one out for a test drive.

Wait for "brand ambassadors", gig economy for test drives.