Tesla’s New Rental Strategy

After a record sales quarter, analysts expect Tesla ($TSLA) sales to fall in the current quarter as the phase-out of the $7,500 federal EV tax credit slows electric-vehicle demand.

To counter the dip, Tesla has rolled out a rental program through select dealerships, beginning in Southern California, allowing customers to rent Teslas for $60 per day for up to a week.

Incentives and Perks

The rental package includes:

Free Supercharging during the rental period
Full Self-Driving (Supervised) access
$250 purchase credit for anyone who buys a Tesla within a week of their rental experience

Analysts’ Outlook

Despite the marketing push, analysts surveyed by FactSet still project:

Q4 sales down ~9% YoY
Full-year 2025 sales down ~7%

Many note that short-term sales may not be Tesla’s main focus anymore, with the company pivoting toward long-term goals like robotaxis and humanoid robotics.

Market Reaction

Tesla shares rose 2.3% in premarket trading, supported by broader market gains.
Year-to-date, TSLA is up 13%, slightly trailing the S&P 500.