Man takes his $70,000 one-year-old Tesla Model Y to WeBuyAnyCar and is left stunned by how much he's offered
Published on Jul 30, 2026 at 1:14 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Jul 30, 2026 at 1:14 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
This Tesla owner in the UK took his (almost) new Tesla Model Y to WeBuyAnyCar to find out how much he’d get, and the offer left him stunned.
When he bought it in 2024, the EV cost him $70,000.
Around one year later, that value had gone down significantly.
And what surprised him even more was the reason he was given as to why.
When it comes to depreciation, EVs are tricky
EVs have been around for long enough and there’s enough of a track record to determine whether they depreciate faster than internal combustion cars.
And the reality is they sometimes do.
High-end vehicles like the Ford Mustang Mach-E, for example, can depreciate quite quickly.
The situation is even worse with luxury vehicles like the Porsche Taycan.
The Hollywood-friendly and Nürburgring record holder Porsche Taycan cost well over six figures to buy new, but you can often find used ones for $50,000 or less.
As for this guy’s Tesla, the reason why it depreciated so quickly was something the owner hadn’t predicted.
Why WeBuyAnyCar’s offer for this Tesla was so low
Harley Perkins, YouTuber and Tesla owner in the UK, bought a Tesla Model Y for a little over $70,000 in 2024.
It’s a lot of money for a Model Y, but Teslas are more expensive outside of North America and in the UK, and he bought the Long Range model with a lot of optional extras.
Just a year later, the Tesla owner took it to WeBuyAnyCar to have it appraised and the offer he received surprised him.
“The car is now worth £27,132,” the inspector noted.
That was equivalent to around $36,000, which meant the car had lost around half of its value.
But the biggest shock came when the inspector explained why.
“This is a Grade 2 vehicle,” he said.
For reference, ‘Grade 1’ means that a vehicle has no chips or blemishes on it whatsoever, which his Tesla – in Harley’s view – didn’t, but it still wasn’t enough to meet Grade 1 expectations.
It just goes to show that people who wrap their cars to make sure the paint is 100 percent protected may have a point.
And while you might not want to give your car a wrap that would make headlines, like this guy who gave his car the Halo Warthog treatment, it might be a good idea if you want to limit depreciation.
Alessandro is an automotive journalist with 10 years of experience covering supercars, automotive history, emerging vehicle technology, and luxury transportation. He wrote the first article published on SupercarBlondie.com when the website launched in 2022 and has since built a reputation for insightful reporting across the automotive and transportation industries. His expertise is grounded in hands-on experience. Alessandro has driven every Tesla model ever produced, from the original Roadster to the Cybertruck, and regularly covers the latest developments in electric vehicles and automotive innovation. His passion for transportation extends beyond cars, he has even flown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner simulator in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His reporting spans everything from classic American muscle cars and rare automotive discoveries to luxury yachts, private aircraft, high-end watches, and cutting-edge vehicle technology. Known for his deep knowledge of automotive history and ability to uncover the stories behind iconic vehicles, Alessandro brings readers a blend of historical context, technical expertise, and first-hand experience.
