9:20 am, April 20, 2026
With an owner who is never far from the news and prices which only ever seem to be heading one way, used car dealers could be forgiven for wanting to give Tesla a wide berth.
Many retailers seem to have come to the decision that the brand is simply not worth the hassle, with even some specialist EV dealers refusing to stock them.
However, for some, the US firm is proving to be something of a cash cow – with used models flying off the forecourts amid increased demand for EVs.
Among that number is the Inverness-based Culloden Cars, which has carved out something of a niche for itself, selling Teslas in the north of Scotland.
Boss Craig Walker recently visited Tesla to find out more about the model and he has been sharing his top tips on the latest episode of the Car Dealer Podcast.
‘It is very much still a diesel world up here – we’re still in Euro 5!, he told hosts James Baggott and Jon Reay.
‘For the early adopters, when I have a Tesla, it usually just flies out the door. We’ve had to just get up to the product knowledge.
‘I took my service director down to Tesla to get him involved and we do a bit of Tesla servicing now too, and not for any reason other than it’s an opportunity.’
He added: ‘I think it is changing the hearts of minds of people that have a non affiliation with the product and obviously Elon Musk – there are two sides to that, but the product on its own works, if it works for the customer.
‘You as a dealer have to figure out if that customer fits that product.
‘With Tesla, when we went down there, they were telling us the difference between the Model 3 and where it was built – whether it was built out in Shanghai or in Berlin for the newer shape – what comes with the heat pump and what chassis numbers to look out for.
‘It’s just the nuances that by looking at a Tesla you wouldn’t know. For instance, the chrome around the windows, generally that’s the one that was built in Shanghai. It comes with a 5Y chassis number.
‘You’re looking for the one with LRW. That’s the better one with the new technology built inside it.
‘It’s little things like that. If you’re looking at auction, they all look the same, but they’re not really. It’s simple things like it comes with with a heated steering wheel or the heated seats or the white wireless charging port. All these little things make a difference for the customer who’s going to be looking for it and looking for that specific model.
‘It will have a difference in price, even though the book doesn’t say it for you, but desirability-wise, the customers will look at that one rather than another one.
‘It doesn’t mean you see that one’s a bad car, just that’s the one you really want to be looking at.’
You can watch the full episode on the Car Dealer 2.0 YouTube channel or listen on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
