So you’ve made up your mind to buy a Tesla, now let the excitement begin! But the process is unlike buying any other car out there as it’s all online – yep, the whole process including the deposit and the ‘paperwork’, which some people can find a little daunting, but it doesn’t need to be. We’re prepared some useful information to help the process go as smoothly as possible, so here’s what to expect:

1. 1. Firstly, be sure to start the order process by clicking THIS LINK, which will get you a bonus 1500km’s of Supercharging for absolutely free. That’s right, it costs you nothing but will get you 1500km’s of Supercharging absolutely free at any of Tesla’s thousands of Superchargers across the globe.
   2. Once you go through that link, next you need to make your vehicle selection. Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, whichever takes your fancy. You’ll want to select ‘Custom Order’ unless you’d rather order something that is already in stock and then click ‘Design Now’.
   3. Next you’ll select what version of the car you want (e.g. Standard Range Plus, Long Range or Performance), and then continue to choose the colours, wheels, interior and the interior.
   4. Finally, you can select whether you would like ‘Full Self-Driving Capability’ or not. I don’t think it’s currently worthwhile (as @ Jan 2021), but in the future when they release an update with ACTUAL full autonomy, it’d be worth considering. Having said that, if you are keen on getting this upgrade which costs a little over $10,000AUD, I suggest you do NOT select it when placing your order, and instead upgrade after the car has been delivered. This upgrade is delivered via a software update and if you include this when placing your order, this $10,000 will be subject to LCT (Luxury Car Tax) which will cost you even more, however if you simply add it after you have taken delivery of the car, it will not be subject to LCT, so you will save many thousands of dollars. If you are financing the car and your bank won’t allow you to do it this way, you might be out of luck, but if you can make it work, you’ll save a few thousand dollars that you can put towards things like PPF, tinting or ceramic coating to keep your car looking good!
   5. Once you’ve selected all your options, you enter your details and pay the deposit using a credit card, and then you wait. Finance Tip: The finance options available through Tesla are with Pepper Finance or Macquarie Finance, and when I initially looked into it, I thought 2.99% was a sweet deal. However, as my car is a business vehicle I reached out to my bank to find out whether they could offer a better deal and managed to get them down to 1.95%! Now this is only available for businesses with an ABN on a chattel mortgage & the usual T&C’s & eligibility criteria apply, so it’s not going to be for everyone, however if you are buying this for a business and a chattel mortgage (I took mine over 5 years with a 30% balloon), it’s worth exploring as this equates to thousands of dollars of savings compared to the 2.99% mentioned above. If you don’t have a broker or can’t get your bank to hook you up with this deal, let me know and I’ll be happy to put you in touch with my contact who hooked me up with this great deal.
   6. And wait some more. And probably wait some more. This process is well-known for being painstakingly slow, and while you may have been given a timeframe for when your car is likely to arrive (possibly several weeks or months into the future), it could be weeks or even months before you hear anything back from Tesla at all. Don’t fret, try to be patient and know that eventually they will get in touch to let you know more about the next steps. They will have papers for you to sign (electronically, or sometimes needing to be printed out and scanned in, and in even rarer occasions, signed in person) for the purchase and for your bank (or you) to arrange payment of the full amount prior to delivery.
   7. Delivery: They will eventually advise you of a delivery date and you can have the car delivered to your house, work, anywhere, or pick your car up from their showroom. They will give you a basic tour of the car to show you how things work (but I suggest you watch this video prior to pickup to really get to know the ins and outs of the car) and then send you on your way with your amazing new car. And you’ll love it!
   8. Bonus points: There’s a lot to owning a Tesla (or any EV), like where to charge, what type of charger to get, what type of cables will you need if you’re going on a long trip, how to best plan a long journey and plenty more. And there are lots of groups full of people who are ready and willing to help with all of this information and more, including drive days and fun events to spend time with other like-minded people. I suggest looking up the Tesla Owners Club for your country, or even your state. They’re usually cheap to join and come with lots of great perks (like discounts on window tinting or access to borrow cables if you’re going on a road trip), so definitely look them up. You can also find really useful groups on Facebook and Slack.

So that’s it – it may sound daunting and leave you feeling a little apprehensive, but as one of the thousands of people in Australia (and many more worldwide), I can say wholeheartedly that it’s worth it and the end result of driving these amazing cars is definitely worth it. I charge mine mostly using our solar panels at home, and the fact it’s not putting any emissions into the air makes me feel like I’m doing my part (albeit quite small) to leave the world a better place then when I arrived.

If you’d like to do the same, click on the button below to get started – you won’t regret it!