Tesla seller pockets $8625 of taxpayer money thanks to clean car discount – Stuff

A Tesla bought using the Government’s clean car discount has sold for $76,000 resulting in its owner pocketing $8625 of taxpayer money.

The Trade Me auction for the 2022 Model 3 was listed three days after the seller received it from Tesla on March 16.

Ministry of Transport spokesman Ewan Delany said when applying for the feebate, a trader has to complete a statutory declaration, which states: “Is not intended to be sold, and is not intended to be offered for sale, within 3 months of first registration.”

It was a crime to make a false declaration, he said.

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A new Tesla Model 3 currently retails for $76,143, following a price hike earlier this month. (File photo)

The seller said rising interest rates meant he had decided to pay down his mortgage.

Under the Government’s electric vehicle discount scheme, launched in July, buyers of a new Model 3 receive a $8625 discount.

The listing was viewed 24,433 times, and by the time the auction closed on Sunday evening it had attracted 18 bids.

The seller said people looking for a bargain, and willing to wait until 2023, should buy via Tesla.

A new Model 3 currently retails for $76,143 including a $268 vehicle registration, a $1375 delivery fee and a $400 order fee.

Tesla this month hiked its prices meaning the seller would have paid less than the current retail price.

The auction attracted a mix of reactions from users, with some criticising the seller for profiting off a tax-payer funded scheme, and others supporting him for making the most out of high demand for Teslas.

Delany said the ministry did not expect the buying and selling of electric vehicles for profit using the scheme would be a large scale issue.

People had greater protections when buying from a dealer, which was an important consideration when a significant amount of money was being spent on a car, he said.

Because car prices could always fluctuate up and down, the practice was risky, he said.

If someone imported more than three, or sold more than six cars in a six-month period, they were deemed a motor vehicle trader which came with obligations, he said.

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