Want to bring my TM3 from Canada to Netherlands

[Alpom]

Hi guys,

I am new to this forum.
If I don't post at the correct place, just tell me.
Also, my main language is not English so be tolerant.

Here is my situation:
I bought a TM3 4 months ago. At the time I didn't know I was going to move for 2 years in the Netherlands. I already asked Tesla Canada and France about the warranty. The warranty will still be valid but only in America, not Europe.
I will also need an adapter (Type1 to Type 2) to charge.

I was wondering if someone brought his Tesla from America to Europe or vice-versa?

Also, if someone is doing the same switch with his company but from Europe to America, I would be interested in exchanging my TM3 with another one. I am flexible about details (rent, sell, lend, etc).


Thanks!

 

[Sir Sceptalot]

Damn, that sounds risky.

If I were to find myself in your shoes, I'd have a conversation with Tesla to see if you could do some sort of trade-in, or whatever you want to call it. If you could buy a new European car and trade-in your current car without losing a lot of money, it might be worth considering.

I'd get nervous about not having warranty on any new car, let alone a Tesla.

Whatever happens, I wish you the best of luck!

Btw, what is your native language?

 

[WimW]

Since he mentioned contacting Tesla Canada and France, I'd assume his native language would be French.

 

[Sir Sceptalot]

Since he mentioned contacting Tesla Canada and France, I'd assume his native language would be French.

Sacre bleu. It's a pity that I'm not able to downvote my own post, because I would.

 

[DutchTM3]

Also, my main language is not English so be tolerant.

Don't worry, neither is ours

 

[pvkeep]

Expats take their cars from the US and Canada to Europe all the time so that's not the issue. Tesla might try to claim that your warranty doesn't apply in Europe but it most likely does. European consumer protection laws are pretty broad.
If you want to be sure just contact the EU consumer protection agency and ask them. Here's a good place to start: Buying and leasing a car in another EU country

 

[horta]

Sorry to interrupt, but no, it does not. If a car is bought within EU then yes, you are right. These rights do not extend to goods bought outside the EU. Certainly not if you did not live in the EU at that time. Tesla is correct albeit unfortunate.

 

[DutchTM3]

Expats take their cars from the US and Canada to Europe all the time so that's not the issue. Tesla might try to claim that your warranty doesn't apply in Europe but it most likely does. European consumer protection laws are pretty broad.
If you want to be sure just contact the EU consumer protection agency and ask them. Here's a good place to start: Buying and leasing a car in another EU country

I agree with @horta. @Alpom is not a European consumer so EU consumer protection should not apply to him. It is already in the title of you link "... in another EU country".

 

[Alpom]

Good deduction. I speak french.

@pvkeep Good information but has @horta said the European consumer protection seems to apply for a good bought in another EU country. I will still give them a call, doesn't cost much.

@Sir Sceptalot The TM3 in the Netherlands cost around 20 000CAD more than in Canada for the same model with the same specs. I am not ready to pay 20 000 Cad + the depreciation for the same car...

I will try to call the European consumer protection and if the answer is negative, I will try to exchange ((rent, sell, lend, etc) my car with a Tesla owner from Europe who wants to come to America.

 

[Alpom]

Any idea where I could find somebody to "exchange" car with?

We have apps in Canada for that, but I do not know if France or Belgium or The Netherlands has that.

 

[horta]

The answer will be negative with 100% accuracy. The title of the website that @pvkeep gives you is a dead giveaway, it only concerns business done within the EU and understandably so.

As far as I can remember Canada is not part of the EU, nor will it ever be. Unfortunately.

 

[BobbyKings]

Some other aspects to consider might be connectivity, navigation and (super)charging options. I would strongly recommend to check these prior to crossing the Atlantic.

Could leasing an M3 be an alternative?

Cheers.

 

[Alpom]

Some other aspects to consider might be connectivity, navigation and (super)charging options. I would strongly recommend to check these prior to crossing the Atlantic.

Could leasing an M3 be an alternative?

Cheers.

If I rent mine I would probably buy a cheap car for 2 years then sell it. I plan on travelling a lot in Europe. I guess a dirty diesel would be my best option given the situation.

I would prefer to have an electric car but the rent will be expensive and I do not have the money to buy 2 Tesla in the same year!

I pre-ordered the Cybertruck and plan on buying it when/if I come back!

Thank you all for your advice!

 

[To3ornotto3?]

How about you just bring your car here in case you need mayor warranty (battery pack or..?) you ship the car back home and have it repaired in Canada?

 

[BobbyKings]

If I rent mine I would probably buy a cheap car for 2 years then sell it. I plan on travelling a lot in Europe. I guess a dirty diesel would be my best option given the situation.

I would prefer to have an electric car but the rent will be expensive and I do not have the money to buy 2 Tesla in the same year!

I pre-ordered the Cybertruck and plan on buying it when/if I come back!

Thank you all for your advice!

You may want to contact these guys for short term lease (private or business).

They have thousands of Tesla’s in their fleet.

Home - MisterGreen Electric Lease

 

[horta]

If you intend to travel by car within Europe then dirty diesels might be out of the question for many German cities. They do not allow diesel cars into city centers anymore. Belgium and The Netherlands also start to block, for the moment only old diesel cars, but that might change any day.

 

[M3BlueGeorgia]

Expats take their cars from the US and Canada to Europe all the time so that's not the issue. Tesla might try to claim that your warranty doesn't apply in Europe but it most likely does. European consumer protection laws are pretty broad.
If you want to be sure just contact the EU consumer protection agency and ask them. Here's a good place to start: Buying and leasing a car in another EU country

The killer is the different charging connectors (CCS2) in Europe compared to North America, so even if you go through all the hassle of shipping the car to Europe, importing it to Europe and solve the potential warranty issues, you CAN'T use European Superchargers.

 

[holmgang]

Expats take their cars from the US and Canada to Europe all the time so that's not the issue. Tesla might try to claim that your warranty doesn't apply in Europe but it most likely does. European consumer protection laws are pretty broad.
If you want to be sure just contact the EU consumer protection agency and ask them. Here's a good place to start: Buying and leasing a car in another EU country

They really don't. The notable exceptions are classic/vintage cars, those affiliated with military, and/or those otherwise planning to keep it for very short time (<1yr or <6mo), as there are various loopholes and exemptions available.

Otherwise, for most people, importing a car is quite laborious because it requires compliance assessment and adjustment (wipers, lights, etc); another round of taxes. On top of lack of warranty support, potential servicing difficulties, and difficult resale offloading a gray import.

Also, none of these EU consumer laws will apply in such a scenario.

Practically speaking, it never makes sense to import a car from North America into EU. (Not even an vehicle popular in and produced in EU, ask me how I know...). It doesn't even make sense to import cars across Europe -- consider bringing an NL vehicle into Norway?

***

To the OP, there's not much getting around it. You're gonna have to let the car go at a loss.

 

[horta]

Sorry to disappoint you, but Norway is not part of the EU either. It certainly makes sense to import cars from one EU country to another, happens on a daily basis eg. between Germany and The Netherlands, saving the buyer hundreds to thousands of Euro's.

 

[holmgang]

Sorry to disappoint you, but Norway is not part of the EU either.

Sorry you misread, but Norway is a part of Europe, which is exactly as I wrote, verbatim

It certainly makes sense to import cars from one EU country to another, happens on a daily basis eg. between Germany and The Netherlands, saving the buyer hundreds to thousands of Euro's.

The point is to illustrate the differences in regulations and regimes across countries. Importing a car from Germany or Netherlands into Austria -- all EU members -- incurs a (pretty hefty) consumption tax called NoVA. Importing a car from an even farther point of origin, will lead to even higher compliance costs.