You Can Buy These New Cars Without Going to a Car Dealership
As the popularity of EVs continues to grow, more and more EV startups are following Telsa’s lead in direct-to-consumer sales style, excluding what many consider to be the middleman in car sales: dealerships. While dealerships offer certain benefits to the buyer (many vehicle options, the ability to test drive multiple models on site, the convenience of having your purchase picked up from the warehouse on the same day), the experience of visiting a dealership to negotiate a sale is also something that many of us are afraid.
As Nora Naughton and Alexa St. John write for Yahoo News :
“The consumer experience and consumer journey is too valuable to be delegated to a third party,” Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson told investors during a November 2021 call. shopping experience, reduce buyers’ hatred of bidding, and reduce overhead costs.
This approach is fraught with inconvenience. Because most states require cars to be sold through dealers, these automakers must turn to franchising laws and dealer lobbyists to run stores, physical or digital, wherever they want to operate.
If a direct-to-consumer experience appeals to you, here are the options you can consider right now, with all the logistical caveats to be aware of, depending on where you live.
Tesla
The idea of ditching the dealership isn’t new, but Tesla is likely the first manufacturer to do it. You can go to the Tesla website, select the model you are interested in, fully customize it and order delivery directly to your home. According to Yahoo Finance, there is no need to go to a dealership if you live in California, Colorado, Virginia, or New Hampshire because they allow customers to buy Teslas directly without the help of a dealership.
Tesla also currently has 36 “stores” or “galleries” where you can physically see the cars and learn about the benefits of buying a Tesla. However, some federal and state laws may prohibit these galleries from selling cars or even discussing their prices.
While some laws may make it difficult for Tesla to sell directly to a customer, they have tried to get around this problem. If you live in a state that does not allow direct-to-consumer sales, Tesla offers you three options : express delivery to a Tesla delivery center in a state where it is allowed; Tesla direct delivery to your specified address within 220 miles of an existing Tesla delivery center; or Carrier Direct, where you get an independent shipper who will deliver your car to you, no matter where you live, for a fee.
polar Star
Another electric vehicle company, Polestar, offers many of the same services as Tesla. You can customize and order your Polestar 2 completely online without even stepping on the dealer floor. If you live within 150 miles of Polestar Space , you can have your car delivered. Otherwise, you’ll have to hire an independent carrier to deliver the vehicle to you for a fee, according to Cars.com .
You can find more information about Polestar shipping in their FAQ here .
clear
Lucid is an American electric vehicle company founded in 2007 that also sells cars directly to customers online and at Lucid Studios, but only in states where Lucid is licensed to sell. Lucid currently has three car models: Lucid Air Touring, Grand Touring and Dream Edition.
Lucid delivered its first Lucid Air vehicles in fall 2021 . Lucid Insider’s blog states that it takes two to five months from the time an order is placed to pick up a car.
Rivian
Rivian , founded in 2009, is another American electric vehicle manufacturer that lets you build your custom car without the middleman. They currently have the R1T , an all-electric pickup truck, and the R1S , a second model and all-electric SUV.