Buying a Tesla doesn’t look like buying most other new cars. There’s no salesperson walking you through a lot, no back-and-forth over invoice pricing. It’s mostly a self-serve process that runs through your web browser and, later, the Tesla app. Here’s what actually happens between opening the configurator and getting a delivery date.
You design the car yourself, or buy one that’s already built
Tesla’s own ordering support page lays out two paths: design your Model 3, Model Y, or Cybertruck from scratch in the online configurator, choosing trim, color, wheels, and interior, or skip configuring altogether and select a vehicle from Tesla’s existing inventory for faster delivery. Both routes go through the same order flow — you can complete it online or in person at a Tesla store, and Tesla says the process itself only takes a few minutes.
You pay a one-time order fee, not a refundable deposit
Once you’ve settled on a configuration, placing the order requires a one-time, non-refundable fee paid by credit card — Tesla’s support page states this directly, without publishing the dollar figure. As of a July 25, 2026 pricing breakdown from Edmunds, that order fee is $250 on a new Model Y, separate from the roughly $1,390 destination fee that gets added to every vehicle regardless of configuration. Unlike a traditional dealer deposit, there’s no negotiating this fee down or applying it toward financing — it’s a flat charge to place the order, not a down payment on the car.
Order confirmation kicks off a checklist, not a wait-and-see
As soon as the order goes through, Tesla emails an order confirmation containing your order agreement, and that same email is where you can check your estimated delivery timing going forward. From there, the real work moves to the Tesla app: sign in with the same email and password used to place the order, and you’re walked through a series of pending tasks before pickup. According to Tesla’s support documentation, that includes entering trade-in details if you have one, handling vehicle registration, confirming delivery specifics, submitting proof of insurance, and setting up your final payment method — Tesla accepts electronic check through the app, wire transfer, or a certified check at delivery, and the full final payment has to come from a single account.
What that means for you
Because so much of this happens without a salesperson, the burden is on you to keep checking the app rather than waiting for a phone call. Treat the order confirmation email as your reference document for delivery timing, and treat the Tesla app’s task list as the actual to-do list between placing your order and picking up the car — nothing moves forward until those pending items are cleared.
Photo by Antoni Shkraba.
Photo by Antoni Shkraba.