When you configure a new Tesla, the price you see at checkout is not the final number. Tesla adds two mandatory line items before taxes and registration: an order fee and a destination fee. Both show up on every new vehicle order, regardless of which model or trim you choose.
The order fee is a one-time charge you pay by credit card the moment you place your order. Tesla’s own support page states that “when placing your order, you will pay a one-time, non-refundable order fee with a credit card.” As of late July 2026, that fee was $250 on a new Model Y, according to Edmunds’ pricing breakdown. Think of it less like a deposit toward the car and more like a fee for reserving your build slot in the queue — it does not go toward the purchase price the way a deposit typically would.
The destination fee is separate and larger. Tesla describes it as the charge that “covers the cost of shipping your vehicle from the factory to your delivery location,” and Tesla is explicit that it is “non-negotiable” and applies to every new order. As of publication dates in July 2026, Edmunds reported the destination fee at $1,390 on the Model Y, and the same $1,390 figure on the Model 3 — so it currently appears to be a flat amount across Tesla’s mainstream lineup rather than something that varies by model. Because destination fees are a standard practice across the auto industry, not a Tesla-specific markup, treat this figure as roughly representative rather than fixed for all time: manufacturers, including Tesla, adjust these amounts periodically, so confirm the exact number shown on your own order summary before you buy.
What the fee covers is narrow: getting the physical car from the factory to wherever you take delivery, whether that’s a Tesla store, a delivery center, or your driveway. What it does not cover is everything else attached to buying a car. Sales tax, state registration and title fees, and any optional accessories or Full Self-Driving software you add are all billed separately and vary by state. The destination fee is Tesla’s version of what most traditional dealers call a “freight” or “delivery” charge, and like those fees, it is baked into the advertised price rather than something a salesperson adds later.
Can you avoid it? Not by changing how you take delivery. Tesla states the fee applies to all new vehicle orders, and nothing in Tesla’s ordering process suggests picking up your car in person at a delivery center instead of having it dropped off waives the charge. It is not the kind of fee you can ask to have removed the way you might negotiate an add-on package at a traditional dealership — Tesla’s fixed, no-haggle pricing model applies to this line item just as it does to the vehicle price itself.
The order fee works differently in one respect: it is non-refundable once paid, though Tesla’s order agreement has carved out specific exceptions in some cases, such as when a financing application is declined within a set window. If you are weighing whether to place an order at all, GetTesla’s guide on canceling a Tesla order and what happens to your money covers what you get back and what you don’t.
Bottom line: budget for roughly $1,600 combined between the two fees on top of your vehicle’s base price, verify the exact current numbers on your own order screen since Tesla can adjust them, and don’t expect either fee to be up for discussion.
Photo by Kaboompics.com.