How to test drive a Tesla during the COVID-19 pandemic

Perhaps you’ve seen Tesla’s recent market cap soar over $850 billion. Maybe you’ve been reading about the long rumored refreshes coming to the Tesla Model S and Model X. It could even be that you’ve seen tons of Model 3 sedans on the road lately, and you want to see what all the hype is about. No matter the reason, there’s plenty of opportunities to test out a Tesla before you commit to buying one. While remedies and vaccines are on the horizon, Tesla’s modified test drive procedures to ensure safety and social distancing are still in effect — here’s how it works.

The Tesla experience

Unlike more traditional automakers, most of Tesla’s sales are done completely online. Due to the growing demand for electric vehicles like the new Model Y, many customers make their purchase on the Tesla website and wait restlessly for their new EV to be delivered.

This may be a new process for many consumers, especially those who are new to electric vehicles. Most people are used to test driving a couple prospective vehicles. They then mull it over, then drive off the lot with their new vehicle. For those sorts of customers, it may be hard to pull the trigger on an online purchase without actually driving the desired model.

Luckily, Tesla does still offer test drives and has put in a full effort to keep the process as contactless and safe as possible. Now, prospective customers can schedule an appointment, test drive a given Tesla, and make a decision from there, with limited contact with others.

Here’s a step by step guide through the touchless process so you can test drive a Tesla today.

Schedule a touchless test drive

The first step is to decide what Tesla model(s) you’d like to test drive. Then you can hop over to Tesla’s website to begin scheduling your touchless test drive.

The site will ask you to provide some basic information such as name, phone number, and email, then you’re moving on.

Next, you’ll choose which Tesla you’d like to test drive. The automaker currently offers four different electric vehicles to choose from.

After that, the website will use your location to determine the nearest Tesla showroom. If you’d like to check the nearest showroom beforehand, Tesla offers an interactive map.

Choose your location, preferred date and time, and boom! Appointment confirmed. After that, a Tesla advisor will reach out to confirm your appointment and answer any further questions. Note: You must present a valid driver’s license in order to partake in a test drive.

Attending your touchless test drive

On the day of your scheduled test drive, Tesla recommends you arrive ten minutes early. You will then alert your Tesla advisor you have arrived and they will remotely guide you to your test vehicle.

All paperwork and signatures can be performed digitally through your phone, so there is no need to even enter any Tesla facility. Nevertheless, its important to stay masked up!

When you find your designated Tesla model for your test drive, your Tesla advisor will be able to unlock the vehicle for you remotely.

You can then enter the vehicle and begin to explore all the interior has to offer. The touchscreen will also provide instructions and tutorial videos for how to operate various functions of the Tesla vehicle before you depart.

From there, you can venture out into the world for a thirty-minute test drive and see all your chosen Tesla has to offer. Simply bring your vehicle back afterward, park it, and a Tesla advisor will follow up about your experience.

Test drive events

For those who have checked Tesla’s map and tried to schedule a test drive, but do not have any showrooms nearby, there is still hope. Every so often, Tesla holds events in areas that do not have a Tesla footprint yet, so consumers can still come out and test drive. You can check the calendar for your area on Tesla’s events page.

Hopefully you will now feel more inclined to go forth and test drive a Tesla of your own, now that you see how simple and safe the process can be. Feel free to test all four models, so you have plenty of knowledge of the process when the Cybertruck becomes available.