Tesla Lease South Carolina

[1.21gigawatt]

Hello,

I was considering leasing a new model y performance but I live in South Carolina. Can I lease and pickup in North Carolina even though I am a resident of Myrtle Beach South Carolina? It seems South Carolina really does not like EV's and Tesla.

Anyone lease a Tesla that was a South Carolina resident?

Any info would be appreciated.

 

[cappy1]

I live in Hilton Head, SC and told my delivery will be in Mathews, NC, over 260 miles away. Text message said all Tesla's being registered in SC must pickup in NC. I bought my last Tesla in Savannah so go figure.

 

[1.21gigawatt]

Thank you for the information! Was yours a lease or a buy? Does it matter?

 

[cappy1]

Thank you for the information! Was yours a lease or a buy? Does it matter?

I bought the car. I assume a lease would be handled the same way, but not sure.

 

[buttons946]

Going through the same situation in SC. Have you found any info about leasing?

 

[1.21gigawatt]

well, the people at Tesla told me they don't lease in SC as the website shows not available. But it also shows not available for loan in SC as well. Other people have gotten loans through Tesla and picked up in NC. Nothing definitive as of yet, still trying to find more information. I am sitting on leasing vs buying as I own a 2021 model 3 performance right now and wanted to lease the next one. I don't want to drive 3.5 hours each way to really find out the correct answer. If you find anything out please let me know as well.

 

[buttons946]

We're in the same boat. We bought our Model Y in January but I know that before this I had seen south carolina in the list of states available for leasing. We didnt want to have to do another loan for our next car. It was only very recently that I noticed it was no longer in the list. Technically the lease is from north carolina, so it seems to me like we should be able to as it wouldn't be originating in south carolina. How can they say you can't lease the car in NC and then bring it back to where you live? Seems odd, right?

 

[ATPMSD]

It probably has to do with the fact that Tesla does not have a presence in SC.

“South Carolina bans manufacturer ownership of new car dealerships and manufacturer service/repair of cars they do not own.”

Since they cannot deliver a car they likely cannot originate a lease or loan.

 

[buttons946]

We picked up our last car in Savannah, same as what we would do for our next Tesla. Pickup in NC this time.

 

[1.21gigawatt]

Thats what I was trying to confirm. If I pick up the car in NC or GA can they originate the lease? I was hoping someone on here had done it or tried. Seems crazy that they couldn't write it in NC and then just register the car in SC. I relocated to SC from NY and have a model 3 performance which was financed in NY. I just took my NY title with lien on it and they registered the car. Seems the banks shouldn't care where it comes from as long as the credit is approved? I used US bank for my first loan and they had no presence in my area at all, no branches etc. which is who Tesla used for my loan. I just paid online.

 

[buttons946]

We moved from NY too! But we were already in SC when we got our tesla, I think I might just try to go through the leasing process. They don't register the car for us, so unless it's a tesla specific thing where they won't lease to people with SC drivers licenses.. but that seems ridiculous.

I chatted with customer support and he just kept saying you can't get a lease in SC. But again, it's not a lease in SC, its in NC. This is so aggravating. If we try to lease i'll let you know what happens. The customer support guy basically told me to try if I want and see if it will work

 

[1.21gigawatt]

Too funny, everyone from NY is coming here! Love Myrtle Beach so far! My car was hit in the back and I am a pain with cars. Once they are hit I am done, so I was going to trade it in and lease a new one. Please let me know how it works out for you. Once I know the time frame for repair I am going to order one too. I am going to try and lease as well, if not I guess I am buying a new one. My wife said if it's so difficult just get a BMW or Mercedes or something. She doesn't understand, once you drive a Tesla you can't own anything else....lol

 

[buttons946]

So we went through the process and got to the payment page - only financing was available

 

[1.21gigawatt]

I can't believe they can do this...How can it make a difference to lease vs buy. Amazing South Carolina makes it so difficult to work with Tesla. This will eventually be broken down and they will be here. I live in a new community in Carolina Forest and there are like 10 homes with new Teslas in the driveway. It seems people will find a way and they will overtake here like they did on Long Island. Tesla will eventually prevail!

 

[ATPMSD]

Another catch if you plan to lease a car in one state and then move to another (not just a Tesla thing):

Can I Move My Leased Car Out of State? - Moving.com

Moving out of state? If you lease a car, you may not be able to legally relocate it out of state. Here's what you need to know before you go.

www.moving.com

 

[buttons946]

they confirmed that it’s a recent change too.
There’s plenty of teslas here in Charleston.. I just saw one with a temp plate from GA.

Now that we can’t lease, we have to decide if we want to wait for the new model 3.

 

[1.21gigawatt]

true, maybe wait for the 3 performance re design.

 

[ArloDog]

This is my sad story, too. I leased my M3 in 2021 and took delivery in Charlotte; now, with lease-end approaching and a MY in the hopper, Tesla says they can only lease if the car is registered to a NC address. Only financing or purchase available in South Carolina.

 

[Zer0Her0]

This is my sad story, too. I leased my M3 in 2021 and took delivery in Charlotte; now, with lease-end approaching and a MY in the hopper, Tesla says they can only lease if the car is registered to a NC address. Only financing or purchase available in South Carolina.

Same boat as you. My wife’s MYLR comes to an end in October ‘24. I was planning to lease a MXLR, but seems like that’s not the case, as of now.

 

[Corey Creed]

UPDATE:

Yep, count me in as one that tried to lease in SC too. I live in Greenville, South Carolina and tried to lease a new Model 3 Highland. Once I paid my $250 deposit and got in the app, it asked me if I wanted to buy, but not lease. After several conversations online with support and even some conversations with the good people that work at the Charlotte, NC Tesla location, they all confirmed this. We cannot lease a Tesla if you only have a South Carolina address. So, I had to cancel and will not get my $250 back. Bummer.

Tesla does plan to open a distribution center in Greenville SC in "early 2024" according to several news outlets in January (2024). I am wondering if Tesla will start leasing once they have a presence in the state. I believe that is what more than one person expects that I spoke with. I guess time will tell.