As easy as booking a Lime bike: Tesla opens 17 ‘Self-Service’ test drive centers where customers can try out their electric vehicles using just the app
- This allows drivers to ‘test a Tesla without a Tesla’ – for the Model Y and Model 3
In perhaps the most advanced test drive experience yet; Tesla’s Self-Serve program has been expanded to almost 20 new locations across the UK, with the Elon Musk brand sounding the death knell for the car retailer.
The remote test drive experience promises curious drivers that they can “test drive a Tesla without a Tesla” – or talk to one of the employees.
Bookings can be scheduled online in under a minute, offering an ‘immersive experience’.
So think of it as the Lime with four wheels – just don’t leave a Model 3 on the sidewalk like the popular rental bikes downtown!
Tesla has expanded its human-free self-service testing locations to 17 locations across the UK where drivers can book a ‘Tesla-free’ test drive with the Model 3 and Model Y EVs
After Tesla opened its first space in Perth, Scotland last year, the Elon Musk-owned EV brand has now introduced 17 new locations.
Self-service test drives remove the human interaction from the test drive because there is no physical interaction with a Tesla employee.
A big step beyond the ‘sales areas’ that are especially popular with EV manufacturers today, self-service centers give you the opportunity to book and drive without so much as a handshake.
Tesla says your slot can be scheduled in less than 60 seconds, via Tesla’s website or the Tesla mobile app.
The point of being able to book and drive using technology to access the car is to eliminate the typical monotony that comes with testing a new car.
After unlocking a Model 3 or Model Y via their phone, customers can take a Tesla for themselves for 30 minutes before deciding whether to place an order
How do Tesla Self-Service test drives work?
After scheduling their Self-Service Test Drive slot, customers will receive an email with the basics. They will be contacted by a Tesla advisor to answer any questions and confirm the lock.
The time for a test drive is 30 minutes.
When the driver arrives for the test drive, everything is done via the Tesla app – the driver is guided seamlessly through the journey, so he or she has complete autonomy.
Once the vehicle is unlocked and the driver is in the vehicle, a test drive will appear on the touchscreen to assist in adjusting the vehicle settings to the desired configuration.
Put the car back in the original lock and lock the car via the app and the test drive is packed.
If assistance is needed at any time during the test drive, you can contact a Tesla advisor by telephone via the app.
Which Tesla models can you test drive yourself?
In the UK, only the new Model 3 and Model Y are available for testing.
The Self-Service Test Drive allows individuals without easy access to a Tesla Store to experience Tesla at a time and place that suits them
This is the facelifted version of Tesla’s Model 3, which is now available in the UK with prices starting from £39,990. The Long-Range version costs £49,990
Tesla has replaced its rear-wheel drive Model Y with a new Long Range version, deliveries of which are currently underway
This is Tesla’s first ‘Remote Test Drive’ location in the UK in Perth, Scotland. Not only is there no showroom, but also no salespeople; instead, customers get a tour of the car on their phone and then leave unaccompanied
How many Self-Service locations are there and where are they located?
There are 17 Self-Service Test Drive locations available in the UK, allowing those without easy access to a Tesla Store to experience Tesla at a time and place that suits them.
These range from London, Bristol, Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow all the way to Inverness.
These join more than 160 locations in Europe and the Middle East.
