Sometimes, used Tesla Model S EVs are more expensive than new ones

Time is money, and when it comes to the well-heeled folks who can afford to buy a Tesla Model S luxury electric sedan, that time becomes all the more expensive. That's the explanation behind an iSeeCars survey that found that a typical used Model S is priced higher than the new ones coming from the factory, Forbes says.

And it's not even close. Used Teslas are listed at an average price of $99,734, which is far more than the base $69,900 Model as and quite a bit more expensive than the top-of-the-line $89,900 model, both of which provide buyers with a $7,500 federal tax credit. iSeeCars pulls its numbers from 45 million used-car listings (not all of them for the EV, of course). The reason behind the discrepancy appears to be that anyone interested in a new Model S is put on a waiting list, so it can take some time before the impulse buy becomes reality. Also pushing the used car price upwards is the fact that most of the Teslas for sale on the secondary market were top-of-the-line versions to begin with, which bore higher-than-base price tags.

California-based Tesla sold about 6,900 Model S vehicles during the fourth quarter last year, beating out the Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt to become the top-selling plug-in vehicle in the US. About 22,300 Model S vehicles were sold last year.