Tesla Used Car Prices Bubble, Weighs New Car Demand

SAN FRANCISCO—Tesla buyers who waited months for their new car have had an unusual choice for much of the past two years: keep the new electric vehicle, or sell it at a profit to someone with less patience.

But the days of the Tesla flip are numbered—a potential threat to new car prices that are already getting cut.

The prices of used Teslas are dropping faster than the other carmakers, and the vehicles are sitting in dealers lots longer, according to industry data.

The average price The November price of a used Tesla was $55,754, which is 17 percent lower than the July peak of $672,297. Edmunds data shows that the overall used car market saw a 4 percent decline during this period. In November, the average time that used Teslas remained in dealers’ inventory was 50 days. This compares to 38 days for all other used cars.

The demand for Teslas, one long-range electric vehicle on the market, was boosted by rising gasoline prices. Tesla Inc. increased prices faster than the prices of other cars, increasing its profit margins. And buyers of some new Teslas took advantage of the booming market to sell their relatively new cars for a profit, then order new ones, driving demand for Tesla’s new cars.

Now, fuel prices are decreasing, interest rates rising, Tesla output increases, and EV competition are growing. Used Tesla prices fall faster than market prices, which in turn causes a cascading effect to new Tesla prices.

Tesla increased the price of a U.S.-made new car to $7,000. Model Ys and Model 3s were delivered last week, increasing investor jitters about softerening demand.

Analysts stated that nearly a third (33%) of all used Teslas up for sale in August were 2022 models available for resale. This indicates that original buyers were hoping to flip the Teslas. This compares to