Manage Vehicle Ownership

Transferring Ownership

When you sell Model 3, you can remove your ownership and transfer the vehicle to a new owner in the Tesla mobile app.

Before you transfer ownership, perform a factory reset for security purposes before removing Model 3 from your account. See Erasing Personal Data with a Factory Reset.

To remove or transfer Model 3 in the Tesla app, go to your account in the app and touch My Products > Remove or Transfer Ownership. Make sure you no longer own the vehicle or you no longer need any access to the vehicle before you remove or transfer it from the Tesla mobile app.

Removing Model 3 from a Tesla account ends all paid subscriptions for that vehicle. It also removes any incentives earned or held by the original vehicle owner. Removed incentives cannot be restored.
Informational PurposesAn informational icon, calling your attention
Note
To access this functionality in the Tesla mobile app, make sure that you have the latest version of it.

If you transfer Model 3 to a new owner, you both receive an email confirmation once the process is complete. This process can take three to five business days. Supercharging credits, upgrades, subscriptions, and some other features might not be transferable.

Informational PurposesAn informational icon, calling your attention
Note
Each Tesla vehicle can only have one owner and one Tesla account at a time.

Claiming Ownership of a Pre-Owned Tesla

After you have created a Tesla account, request the previous owner to transfer ownership to you. If the previous owner is unable to transfer ownership, you can use the Tesla mobile app to claim ownership of Model 3 you purchased through a third party. Make sure you have access to Wi-Fi and the vehicle before opening the app.

If you do not have any Tesla vehicles in the app, go to your account and touch My Products > Add Product.

If you already have a Tesla vehicle in the app, touch the name of your vehicle in the top-left corner and then touch Add Product.

You will be asked to enter your vehicle identification number (VIN), upload documents, and submit owner information to claim ownership. Upload one form of personal identification and one form of proof of ownership. If you are listing your business as the vehicle owner, you must also submit an acceptable business document. The acceptable forms are:

  • Personal identification
    • Photo of driver's license
    • Photo of passport
    • Photo of state identification
  • Proof of ownership
    • Proof of temporary registration
    • Photo of registration
    • Photo of title
    • Photo of bill of sale
  • Business documents
    • Business card
    • Company license
    • DBA document

Once you have finished your request, it can take three to five business days for Model 3 to be added to your Tesla app.

Erasing Personal Data with a Factory Reset

When transferring ownership of Model 3, perform a factory reset for security purposes before removing your vehicle from your account by touching Controls > Service > Factory Reset. Before erasing data, Model 3 verifies your credentials by prompting you to enter the user name and password associated with your Tesla account.
Informational PurposesAn informational icon, calling your attention
Note
Performing a factory reset is only possible when the vehicle is in your account. After the vehicle is removed from your account, you no longer have access to perform a reset of customized settings to the factory defaults and to erase all personal data.