A Tesla buyer says he got a $12,000 discount by asking for it after big price cuts

A
Model Y at
Tesla’s Berlin factory.
Patrick Pleul/Getty Images

One buyer told Insider he got a $12,000 reduction after asking Tesla to adjust the cost of his order.
The order that he placed last July for a Model Y was reduced to $60,440.
Other Tesla customers have voiced their disappointment about missing out on big price cuts.

A Tesla buyer who has yet to take delivery of his car says the cost of his order was reduced by about $12,000 after he complained about missing out on big price cuts.

The man, whose identity is known to Insider but asked not to be named over privacy concerns, ordered his Tesla Model Y last July at a cost of $72,440.

After Tesla announced significant price cuts earlier this month, he told Insider he contacted Tesla by online chat to ask for a reduction to his order.

A representative told him that would not be possible. However, the next day the buyer was informed by email that the cost would now be $60,440. Insider has viewed a screenshot of the email.   

Some Tesla owners have taken to Reddit to voice their disappointment about missing out on the price cuts by Elon Musk’s electric-car maker.

One man who paid $72,000 for his Model Y in November said the reductions had left him “crying in a fetal position.”

Another who said they got their Tesla in mid-December joked about “the sound of $10,000 evaporating” from their wallet.

Marianne Simmons, who paid more than $77,000 in September for a Model Y, told Bloomberg: “I feel like I got duped. I feel like I got taken advantage of as a consumer.”

On January 13 Tesla announced reductions for the Model 3 sedan and Model Y SUV in the US of between 6% and 20%, according to calculations by Reuters. Tesla had already reduced prices by about 40% in Asia, which led some owners to protest outside delivery centers and showrooms after missing out on the cuts. 

A Model Y Long Range now starts at $45,190, according to Tesla’s website, before the $7,500 federal tax credit some buyers might be able to claim until March.

The price cuts contrast Tesla’s approach in 2022 when it raised prices several times amid supply chain disruptions despite concerns about the broader economy. Discounts of $7,500 were offered late last year on the Model 3 and Model Y, however. 

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said in a note on January 4 that Tesla faced “a fork in the road” in 2023 due to rising competition and lower demand.

Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment from Insider.

Have you asked for a discount on your Tesla? Contact this reporter at stabahriti@insider.com