Tesla Referral Program Update Includes Incentives for Cars and Solar Purchases

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The Tesla referral program has had a long and storied history. The first incarnation offered massive incentives like the ability to earn free Tesla Power Wall home storage batteries and even a Tesla Roadster if you had enough referrals. Over time the rewards dwindled and Tesla car purchases were eliminated from the program entirely in 2021. Most recently, the Tesla referral program earned you points for solar roof and solar power system purchase referrals, and these points could be used for Tesla merchandise or for free Supercharging.

This week, Tesla restored Tesla car purchases to the referral program. So now, if you’re already a Tesla car or solar system owner, you can refer friends and family (or yourself) to Tesla and both you (the referrer) and the buyer will earn points or "Reward Credits" with the purchase of a Tesla solar power system or a Tesla car. For the referrer, it's a way of monetizing their brand loyalty and enthusiasm. For the buyer, it's like getting a discount on the purchase of a Tesla car or solar power system, but the discount is in the form of Tesla merchandise.

If you are a Tesla customer already, you can find your Tesla referral code in the Tesla app. Click on the treasure chest icon on the top right of the Tesla app to get your code and referral link. If you are not yet a Tesla customer, feel free to use my code in order to get us both the referral reward:

Here's the link (the referral code is embedded in the link):

If ordering a Tesla car, solar roof or solar panel system in store, over the phone or via chat, then use the code below.

Tesla Referral Code: Christopher55570

Tesla is now offering different incentives for referrers and for buyers.

Unlike the previous version of the referral program, Tesla is now offering different incentives to referrers and to buyers (except for solar panels and solar roofs). Referrers actually get more points than buyers do. Tesla has always let its customers refer "themselves" with a new purchase. But now they’ve specifically identified this as "Loyalty Credits."

The points values for referrers (as of May 12, 2023) are:

The points values for buyers (as of May 12, 2023) are:

Loyalty Credits (for existing Tesla customers buying Tesla Cars or Solar Systems):

Tesla is offering a wide selection of accessories (like the Wall Connector, pictured), branded apparel and Supercharging credits in its revamped referral program.

You can trade points for useful gear like the Tesla wall connector (5,500 points), the Tesla CCS combo charging adapter (4,000 points) or a Tesla roof rack (8,500 points for Model S, Model Y or Model 3). You can also trade points for free Supercharging. The current cost for Supercharging credits is 4,800 points for 2,000 miles of Supercharging or 1,500 points for 500 miles of Supercharging. These are subject to change.

To find out how much this "free Supercharging" perk is worth, you’d need to do a little math. The actual credit that you get from "1,000 miles of free supercharging" is 400 kWh of electricity. The current average cost of Superchargers in the United States is approximately $0.25 (25 cents) per kWh, though this varies in different parts of the country. In California, it can be as much as $0.50/kWh or more. So the cash value of each 1,000 "miles" of supercharging is somewhere between $100 and $200, depending where you charge. This means 2,000 miles of free supercharging (which would cost you 4,800 points in the referral program) is worth $200-$400. In most cases, charging at home is substantially less expensive than this, but if you’re on a road trip, that's not an option so having a little bank of free supercharging miles comes in handy.

According to the program's current terms (May, 2023), Reward Credits expire 12 months after the "Grant Date" which is the date a referred Tesla car is delivered or a referred solar power system is activated. However, if a customer refers an additional sale within that twelve month period, then all Tesla Reward Credits in the account will be extended for 12 months from the new Grant Date. If a customer cashes in Reward Credits for Supercharger miles, those miles expire six months from purchase.

For a limited time, the company is also offering customers entries in a raffle to win an early production model Tesla Cybertruck. Entries cost 500 Credits each, and customers are allowed to buy multiple entries.

The current terms of the referral program are documented here on the Tesla web site: tesla.com/support/loot-box

Also, if you are in a hurry to take delivery of your Tesla car, you can get up to 2,500 Reward Credits with the purchase of an inventory (in-stock) model. Use this link to check in-stock inventory at a Tesla store near you (the referral code is embedded in the link):

Tesla car inventory in stock near you

Tesla has already shown that they’re serious about retaining and expanding market share in the highly competitive EV market. Restoring the referral program for Tesla cars is one way of incentivizing their existing customers to help grow the brand.

Related Reading:

Tesla Referral Program: How Does it Work and What Can I Get From It?

is an EV and alternative fuel enthusiast who has been writing about technology since 2003.

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