Thinking of Buying a Tesla? Here are 4 Reasons You Might Regret It

Heather Altamirano
3 min read
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jetcityimage / Getty Images
jetcityimage / Getty Images

Known for its cutting-edge technology and innovative features, Tesla has always been a buzzed-about brand for consumers who want luxury and a chic car design. While electric vehicles are the future of the automotive industry, not everyone is happy with their Tesla purchase. From quality issues to a hefty price tag, some consumers regret their car choice, and here are the main reasons why.

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Slow Roll Out of Supercharging Stations

Finding a supercharging station might be tough! With the low demand for EVs, Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors, has cut another round of employees, including those behind the company’s Supercharger charging-station network.

“Tesla still plans to grow the Supercharger network, just at a slower pace for new locations and more focus on 100% uptime and expansion of existing locations,” Musk wrote in a post on X.

According to The Washington Post of May 1, “Shares of Tesla were down 1.2% in midday trading Wednesday. They have dropped in value by more than 27% so far this year, but had a bit of a rally in the past week after the company’s first-quarter earnings conference call.”

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Poor Customer Service

Reviews on Consumer Affairs rate Tesla 2.8 out of five stars for many reasons, including bad customer service. One recent reviewer, Erin from Lake Worth, Florida, wrote: “I have leased 3 Tesla Model S vehicles since 2015. I was going to order my 4th, but I hate to say that their customer service is the worst experience I’ve ever had with any company. Ever. The leasing company has no idea how to communicate.”

The reviewer added, “They send me daily text messages to pay for a lease I transferred through them in 2017. They have tried to bill me for tires on my lease return from 2021 that I bought at their service center.”

Exterior Issues

Tesla customer Eric Mina posted an honest review of his 2023 Model 3 with 20,000 miles in a detailed YouTube video explaining why he regrets his purchase. Besides the “easy curb rash” you can get on rims, Mina pointed out it’s challenging to use the flat door handles and stated there needs a light to see them better at night. “It looks so slick in black, but at night I wish there was some type of lighting,” he explained.

Quality Issues

Spending $42,990 — $119,990 for a new car should mean no quality issues, but that isn’t the case. Tesla powertrains are now pretty solid for the most part, but Tesla owners report a lot of build quality issues, including irregular paint, broken trim, door handles that don’t work and trunks that don’t close. All of these pull down the brand’s reliability score,” per Steven Elek from Consumer Reports.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Thinking of Buying a Tesla? Here are 4 Reasons You Might Regret It

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