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Should be no problem. It's made in USA, and the requirements for Canadian cars are greater than those for US cars; i.e. they only have to add stuff to bring them into Canada (daylight running lights, red seat belt release buttons, higher security key fob, bilingual labeling).
mknox
Well-Known Member
I happened to run in to a former Tesla employee at our company charging stations the other day and we were discussing this a bit. He was telling me that the current exchange rate is actually helping Canadian used Model S prices for this very reason. They can be sold in the US market. I know of at least one Canadian TMC member who has done it.
See my list, above. The real barrier is that Tesla won't help you with fixing any of the above. They've decided it's an extra workload they can do without.
I don't know about Tesla's specifically but there are (or at least were) firms that specialize in "Canadianizing" US cars given the pricing discrepancy that existed a few years ago when the C$ was strong. I believe this mainly involved having daytime running lights and airbag stickers en francais plus getting it inspected and approved.
Some vehicles are easier to Canadianize than others. DRLs are a software setting that only Tesla has access to.
mknox
Well-Known Member
While it's perfectly legal in the US to use DRLs, I wonder if Tesla helps US customers that buy Canadian cars by uploading US firmware that has the DRL switch that we don't get in Canada?
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...and some minor stuff like the red seat belt release buttons and more robust immobilizer software.
mrElbe
Active Member
If a vehicle is less than 15 years old and not listed as eligible on the RIV ( Registrar of Imported Vehicles ) site, then you cannot import it. Now, the RIV gets its marching papers from the manufacturers. And some manufacturers will either block importation completely or charge outrageous amounts for compliance letters. It all boils down to any left-over warranty on the vehicle. Each manufacturer has a warranty pot within the respective country. So, some charge a lot for warranty coverage in Canada for a US imported vehicle while others ( Toyota eg. ) cover you at no additional cost.
green1
Active Member
Tesla has worked hard to make sure that it is illegal to import a US Model S to Canada regardless of any changes you are willing to make. You can thank our stupid protectionist laws, and Tesla themselves for working against us on this one.
As for the reverse, please have a heart and don't do it! There are tons and tons of used Teslas available in the US at any given time, and almost none in Canada, keep it here, we can't get them any other way!
As for the reverse, please have a heart and don't do it! There are tons and tons of used Teslas available in the US at any given time, and almost none in Canada, keep it here, we can't get them any other way!
Jgdixon
Active Member
I have done it. Sold to a TMC member in Utah. There was a fair amount of paperwork involved but ultimately no problem.
While it would have been nice to sell it here the private offers as well as Tesla's trade in were ridiculously low. This was over a year ago when the exchange rate wasn't this bad. I would do it again. It's all about the cost of driving. Price minus resale value equals the true cost.
Thanks to everyone for their input.
John, can you PM me a few more details about how you did this (e.g. where was it listed, how/where was the transaction handled, how were you paid, how did you bring the money back to Canada, did you pay off a loan, etc.)?
Thanks,
Don
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