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Dealer Add-Ons Decoded: Smart Strategies to Save Money on Your Car Purchase
When purchasing a new vehicle, navigating the world of dealer add-ons can be a confusing and sometimes costly experience. These extra features, services, or accessories may be presented as essential or highly beneficial, but they often come with a hefty price tag. In this comprehensive guide, we will demystify dealer add-ons, helping you understand their true value and make informed decisions during your car-buying journey. From extended warranties to paint protection, learn how to challenge dealer add-ons and avoid paying for unnecessary extras, ultimately saving you money on your new vehicle purchase.
What Are Dealer Add-Ons?
Say you’ve found the perfect car or truck, and it’s listed ‘at MSRP’, or maybe even a bit less. You think you’re in for a good deal, and you’re aware that it can be hard to come by in 2023. The salesperson is talking it up, and it’s working.
As you start to talk numbers at the sales desk, they slyly mention the paint protection, theft protection, etching, door guards and nitrogen-inflated tires. Maybe even some pinstripes. These ‘forced’ front-end dealer add-ons are going to cost you $2,000, but he says not to worry, every car at the dealership has these ‘products’ added. Supposedly, they can’t be removed, and refusal to pay for them could be a deal-breaker.
What do you do next? These are the steps to take when confronted with front-end dealer add-ons.
Ask to See the product’s Contract
When buying a car, the contract should work in your favor. Every dealer add-on does come with a contract. However, the dealership may ‘assume’ that you’re not interested in reading it.
When presented with the product contract, you have three surprisingly simple options:
- Accept it
- Reject it
- Or amend it
Push Back
The add-on product’s contract will say in bold that it is VOLUNTARY and NOT NECESSARY to obtain financing. Here’s proof. Point that out, and be clear and direct. This is not the time to beat around the bush. It might even have a declination box where you can sign that you reject the product offered.
Remember, you can get most dealer add-ons for hundreds of dollars less elsewhere. That dealer quoting you $400 for pinstripes will pretend they don’t know you can get them on your own for $100. Or, that anti-theft etching costs just $20 (not the $300 they’ll charge you).
Be Ready to Walk Away
The salesperson or sales manager may refuse to budge at this point. Well, they’re not forcing you to sign the contract, so don’t! Tell them you’re prepared to walk away and take your business elsewhere if these add-ons aren’t removed from the purchase order.
Get a Copy Of the product Contract, No Matter What
Make sure you receive a copy of the product contract whether you buy it or decline it. It’s part of dealership compliance, so they can’t say no. And voila! You’ve done your documentation due diligence.
You’re in Control!
Understandably, it’s a hassle to leave a deal so late in the game and start over again elsewhere. But is avoiding the hassle really worth the markup the dealer is demanding, often over $3,000, maybe even $5,000? It’s your financial decision, and you’re in control. It’s time to empower your buying experience by demanding transparency from the dealer.
Remember the most direct path to transparency when confronted with forced dealer add-ons is to demand to see the contract for each add-on. The same is true when canceling or rejecting an extended warranty at the dealership.
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Portable Electric Car Chargers: Are They Worth It?
You’ve just bought your first EV, and now you’ve come down with a severe case of range anxiety. What’s the remedy? You could conservatively plan for charging stops (and charge at home), or shell out thousands of dollars for a suitcase-sized portable battery. Portable electric car chargers are coming to market in 2022. How much do portable EV chargers cost, and are they even worth the money? Here’s where things stand today.
What Is a Portable Electric Car Charger?
When combustion-powered vehicles run out of gas, it’s rarely more than an inconvenience. When an electric vehicle crawls to a stop on the highway, it’s a bigger problem. What if the only charger around is 50 miles down the road? Fortunately, charging an EV is getting easier in America, but range anxiety is a reality for many rural EV drivers and road trippers in 2022.
A portable electric vehicle car charger is an emergency power reserve about the size of a small suitcase that can serve as a portable supply of electricity when there’s no public charger nearby. Basically, a portable EV charger is a big battery with bi-directional capability. It can draw power from the grid, but it can also send power to your car.
Get Ready For Charging as a Service (CaaS)
Are portable chargers available? Kinda sorta. You could buy your own portable charger (for a few thousand dollars), or you could subscribe to a service that offers on-demand portable charging as a service. However, it isn’t cheap. In fact, far from it. These are the options on the market in 2022, and how much you’ll have to fork over for one.
SparkCharge
This new company out of Somerville, Mass. is determined to make owning an EV easier. As Forbes noted recently, think of SparkCharge as the “UberEats or DoorDash of electric vehicle charging.” SparkCharge is a service provider that will show up with their portable batteries (affectionately called ‘Roadies’) to deliver a charge when called upon. The service can be accessed through a subscription-based app called Currently. A service vehicle arrives promptly and begins charging. Currently, SparkCharge’s Currently is only available in Dallas, San Francisco, San Jose and Los Angeles. Learn more here.
Size: Doesn’t matter, SparkCharge comes to you! The Roadie is about the size of a standard suitcase.
Weight: Battery = 73 lbs, charger is 51 lbs
Power capacity: 3.5 kilowatt-hours of usable power. However, the batteries are stackable on a rolling cart, so you can multiply that by three or four to get up to 14 kWh of usable power for charging. That’s a lot more than some competitors offer.
Power output: 20 kilowatts
Miles of range added: “One mile of range added per minute,” or a four-stack of Roadie batteries can add 60-70 miles to a single vehicle (in about an hour) or dispense 10 miles of range to seven different EVs.
Price: This is charging as a service (CaaS) at its finest. Here are the subscription options: The Volt subscription costs $25 per month, which covers two charges, each of which comes with a delivery fee of $9.99. The Jolt plan costs $60 for four charges and a $5.99 delivery fee. The Bolt plan is $80 per month for six charges, plus $5.99 delivery. Learn more about SparkCharge here.
The verdict: As EV adoption accelerates, charging as a service will grow as an industry. While today’s charging providers are limited by the energy density of their battery technology, the future’s looking brighter. If you live in a metro area where SparkCharge is offering service, it may be worth considering. If you do, let us know!
ZipCharge Go
ZipCharge is a new startup out of Britain that promises to bring portable EV chargers to market this year. With wheels on the bottom and a retractable handle (just like a suitcase), the ZipCharge Go is compact, but don’t expect it to get you very far.
Size: About the dimensions of a small suitcase
Weight: ~50 pounds
Power capacity: 4 or 8 kilowatt-hour capacity options
Power output: 7.2 kW of power
Miles of range added: 20 to 40 miles in 30 minutes to one hour
Price: Expected to start around $2,000.
The verdict: Just 20 to 40 miles of emergency range for two grand? I think being smart about planning charging stops is a much smarter route to take for EV drivers.
Blink Portable EV charger
Well-known EV charging company Blink has introduced a portable unit that can be yours for a pretty penny. The Blink portable charger can at up to one mile of range per minute. Blink will sell two versions: one networked for Blink subscribers and one without a network connection so roadside-assistance companies can add the charger to their list of services. Learn more about the Blink portable charger here.
Size: The size of a medium-sized generator
Weight: 350 lbs (this alone would drastically lower driving range)
Power capacity: unknown
Power output: 9.6 kW
Miles of range added: Up to 1 mile of charge per minute
Price: $6,500. Yes, that’s a LOT of money.
The verdict: Unless you’re a fleet manager responsible for a dozen EVs, I don’t see the value of this costly portable charger for the everyday EV driver.
Are Portable EV Chargers Worth the Money?
What it all comes down to is an emerging industry divided into subscription-based AAA-like services, and pricey suitcase-sized batteries that can be hauled around to provide an answer to range anxiety. Consider this: adding one mile of range per minute might be worth it when public fast chargers are much more common and widespread. If you know there’s a fast charger 10 miles down the road and you’re stranded at 0%, waiting for enough charge to make it there would be a no-brainer.
But what if the nearest charger is 50 miles away? Or 100 miles away? In most cases, you’ll need a tow truck. Charging as a service will pair nicely with a growing fast-charger network nationwide, but until then, city dwellers are likely to be the only EV drivers to benefit. EV charging networks are making big plans for growth, and billions of dollars are being funneled to states for more charging stations.
The smart thing to do is to simply plan your charging stops before you hit the road, at least until there are more chargers available. A Better Route Planner and PlugShare are the best EV trip planning tools out there. I’ve driven 11,000 miles in my EV without every dropping below 5% state of charge. All it takes is some minor planning and thoughtfulness.
We’ll keep an eye on this new option for electric car drivers. Things are changing at lightning speed.
States just announced their massive EV charging proposals. We’ve gathered every state’s EV charging plans in one spot.
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Big Names in Autonomous Driving, and Who They’re Partnering With
Have you ever seen a driverless vehicle? Not a Tesla, but a moving car, truck or SUV without anyone in the driver’s seat? True self-driving cars are less than a decade away, and key players have established a new industry that’s on the verge of spilling out into the mainstream. Legacy automakers are investing billions of dollars into emerging AI startups focused on driverless tech. These are the big names in autonomous driving, and the automakers they’re teaming up with.
Argo AI
Argo is a Pittsburgh based tech company that is making a name for itself as a leader of autonomous driving technology that is relatively close to mass adoption. Argo has partnerships with Ford, Volkswagen, Walmart and Lyft. The Argo Self-Driving System is already undergoing testing with Ford and Volkswagen vehicles.
Argo’s weakness is more likely a tradeoff that engineers at Argo were willing to accept in exchange for higher probability of success in the near future. And it seems to be working well for them. Argo Self-Driving works on roadways that are intricately mapped beforehand so that the system knows about street-level conditions and safety precautions.
In conjunction with an all-of-the-above sensor approach (LiDAR, radar and cameras), Argo Self-Driving is designed to drive like an experienced driver, but only in certain areas. The benefit of this approach is that it’s much more realistic in the near-term, despite its limited use case.
Cruise
The first generation Cruise Autonomous Vehicle exists on a modified version of the Chevrolet Bolt. That’s because General Motors bought the Cruise startup back in 2016. Rest assured that the next milestone for this promising company is the launch of the Cruise Origin, a driverless pod without a steering wheel. In January of 2021, Honda announced a partnership with Cruise to bring the Origin to Japan. GM announced that the Cruise will begin production in Detroit in 2023. Cruise will certainly be competing head-to-head with Zoox and others with eerily similar product roadmaps.
Pony.ai
With millions of kilometers of testing completed and a data-driven approach, Pony.AI is playing the long game in autonomous driving. That’s not stopping them from getting off to a strong start. Pony.ai was the first to launch a robo taxi service in 2018, allowing passengers to hail self-driving cars in Guangzhou, Beijing, Irvine, CA, and Fremont, CA. In February 2020, Toyota invested $400 million in the company.
Waymo
Formerly the Google Self-Driving car project, Waymo is off to a great start with their sensor-loaded approach to autonomous driving. Google started their self-driving research in 2009 back when optimism about near-future autonomy was peaking. Now, Waymo continues as a subsidiary of Alphabet, Google’s parent company.
In 2022, Waymo currently operates ride-hailing driverless vehicles in the Phoenix area, and testing has started in San Francisco and New York. Waymo equips vehicles with a suite of sensors that help the autonomous system paint a picture of the environment around the car at all times. It’s not perfect, but riders say it’s impressive and improving. Interestingly, not all of the vehicles equipped with autonomous driving are fully-electric. Driverless Chrysler vans are a common sight in Phoenix.
Zoox
Zoox, a recent subsidiary of Amazon, has the goal of providing enjoyable mobility-as-a-service in dense urban environments. Basically, autonomous ride-hailing. Zoox handles the driving, charging, maintenance, and upgrades for their vehicles. It’s like an autonomous taxi, sort of like Waymo. The rider will simply pay for the service. The Zoox vehicle is a passenger-focused capsule designed in-house. We’ll be hearing more about Zoox autonomous vehicles.
Investments in True Autonomous Driving Are Accelerating
The global autonomous vehicle market was valued at $76.13 billion in 2020, and is projected to reach $2 trillion by 2030. Legacy automakers like GM, Ford, Stellantis and Volkswagen are banking on partnerships with AI startups to leapfrog into a future where driverless vehicles are safe, affordable and accessible. How will the likes of Tesla, Lucid, Rivian, and other newcomers innovate and adapt to the changes to come? Time will tell.
Want to know more? Here’s every automaker’s plan for autonomous driving investments.
Buying a Car? Share Your Experience With Others
Getting ready to buy? See how dealers near you have been treating customers at CarEdge Dealer Reviews. When you make a vehicle purchase, don’t forget to share your experience with the CarEdge family. All submissions are vetted by the CarEdge team. Together, we can transform the car buying experience.
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The 5 Best Electric Cars to Lease in 2022
We recently shared five affordable electric cars to buy in 2022. “Affordable” only goes so far in today’s auto market, and not a single top pick lists for under $35,000. With battery and charging advancements around every corner, leasing is a great way to keep up with the pace of technology without having to purchase a new car. All things considered, these are the 5 best electric cars to lease in 2022.
Hyundai Kona EV
The often overlooked Hyundai Kona EV was the Korean automaker’s electric flagship years before the fancy new IONIQ 5 stole the show. When it comes down to numbers, the Kona EV is a great value. We featured it in our recent CarEdge list of the best affordable electric cars.
This front-wheel drive subcompact crossover gets 258 miles on the charge, exceptional range for a budget EV. Some owners get over 275 miles on a single charge. If you plug in at home, charging to 100% from a 240-volt dryer outlet will only take you about 9 hours from 10% state of charge. That will get you a full battery overnight while you’re sleeping. At a DC fast charger, the Kona is behind the competition. In 47 minutes, the Kona Electric charges from 10% to 80% capacity. For perspective, the new Hyundai IONIQ 5 can do the same in 18 minutes, but it costs nearly twice as much.
You can lease the Hyundai Kona EV for just $259 /mo with $3,699 due at lease signing for 36 months and 10,000 miles of driving allowance per year. If this is your price range, the Chevy Bolt, Nissan Leaf, and the Kona’s cousin the e-Niro are the only other options. You can’t go wrong with the Kona at this price point.
Volvo XC40 Recharge
Volvo and sibling Polestar are ramping up their commitment to electrification. The Volvo XC40 Recharge (pure electric) has been the darling of auto reviewers time and time again. Test drivers share a common theme: the XC40 Recharge is a lot more fun to drive than they had expected.
It may look like a family car, but this electric Volvo can launch to 60 mph in just 4.7 seconds as it puts down power via dual electric motors. With 223 miles of range on a charge and up to 150 kW charging speeds at a public fast charger, the XC40 Recharge is just about average for an electric car in 2022. It IS a solid road-tripper, unlike some other options on this list.
Infotainment runs on Google’s Android Auto operating system, much like the popular Polestar 2. An upscale cabin adorned with the elegant and dark-themed interior we’ve come to expect from Volvo features plenty of hidden storage and generous room in the back seat. This electric crossover feels a lot larger than it really is.
Leasing the XC40 Recharge is available for $540 a month with $3,500 down, and 10,000 miles of annual driving allowance. If you’re looking for a peppy electric crossover with a Scandinavian flair, Volvo’s XC40 Recharge just might be the one.
Learn more about the 2022 XC40 Recharge here.
Nissan Leaf
If you’re shopping on a tight budget, don’t overlook the original posterchild of EVs, the Nissan Leaf. A few years before Tesla’s sales ballooned into EV domination, the Leaf was leading electric car sales in America. Why did it fall out of favor? It looks like an appliance, drives like an appliance, can’t make it very far on a charge, and charges slower than most of the competition. But it’s cheap!
With those complaints aside, the Nissan Leaf is still a solid choice for a lease in 2022. We can only recommend the Leaf in the extended range, faster charging versions. That would be the Plus models, which are rated for up to 226 miles on a charge, and can charge at 100 kW charging speeds at a DC fast charger equipped with the CHAdeMO adapter.
The Leaf is not recommended for frequent long-distance travelers. It’s just too much of a pain to stop so frequently and charge for a whole hour once every 180 miles. But for everyone else, the Leaf is a great electric car for around town. Plus, it still qualifies for the EV tax credit.
As of April, the 2022 Nissan Leaf is available for $179 per month for 36 months with $4,179 due at signing. It’s important to note that Nissan keeps the EV tax credit when you lease a Leaf. Regardless, that’s as cheap as it gets to lease a new EV in 2022.
2023 Fisker Ocean (It’s Worth the Wait)
At a time when the average transaction price for a new car is approaching $50,000, a sub-$40,000 electric crossover sounds too good to be true. The Fisker Ocean introduces rare value in the crowded EV segment. We recently shared an in-depth review of the Fisker Ocean.
For just $379 per month, you can lease a Fisker Ocean SUV with the new Fisker Flexee Lease offer. Fisker says that they believe electric vehicles should be affordable to all, and this is how they’re going to try to get there.
With a Fisker Flexee Lease, there are no term limits and you can cancel at any time. It’s basically a long-term rental that appears to be worry-free. After twelve years of leased driving, Fisker will retire and recycle the electric SUV. The Fisker Flexee Lease requires an initial payment of $2,999, and it includes up to 30,000 miles per year. Maintenance is covered.
The Fisker Ocean will be available in very limited quantities late this year. It won’t be until 2023 or even 2024 that a Fisker lease will be easy to come by. Nevertheless, keep it on your radar!
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The 2022 Polestar 2 is for Fans of a Different Kind of Minimalism
When Volvo acquired Polestar in 2015, the Swedish brand was known for high-performance sports cars. A short time later, Volvo reimagined Polestar as an all-electric brand that mixes performance and luxury in a very Scandinavian fashion. Today, the Polestar 2 is one of the most sought after electric cars in America. Here’s why drivers are falling in love with Polestar’s take on affordable luxury.
Interior and Exterior Design
The Polestar 2 exudes its kinship with Volvo from every angle, yet the Polestar brand has managed to take on its own identity among EV enthusiasts. With origins in Swedish racing, Polestar is synonymous with style and performance, at least in Europe. In North America, Polestar is unknown to most, however one headline-grabbing Super Bowl commercial improved the brand’s name recognition in the US.
On the exterior, the Polestar 2 is defined by sharp angles and a slightly elevated posture. Volvo-like headlights and taillights leave no guessing as to the design language. With a ground clearance of 5.9 inches and an overall height of 59 inches, the Polestar 2 is a few inches taller than the Model 3. It’s no crossover, but it provides room to grow that many other electric sedans lack.
Behind the back seat, there’s 14.3 cubic feet of cargo space. That may not sound like a lot, but the trunk is accessible via a hatchback-like power liftgate. That’s one serious advantage over the Tesla Model 3. Up front, there’s a little frunk with 1.2 cubic feet of storage space.
Eco-Friendly Interior Meets Minimalism
The Polestar 2’s interior is carefully crafted with eco-friendly accents and fabrics. The main touch points and sight areas are a fusion of wood, fabric, and conservative use of plastic. If you’ve seen the interior of any recent Volvo model, you already have an idea of what the Polestar 2 offers. If anything, the Polestar’s interior breathes minimalism into the Volvo family. Seating is offered in sustainably-sourced cloth upholstery or leather. The performance package throws in polarizing gold seatbelts to brighten up an otherwise dark interior.
If you’re a fan of the Android operating system, Polestar has a treat for you. The digital instrument cluster is presented on a 12-inch horizontal display in front of the driver. Infotainment and climate controls are found on a centrally-located 11.3-inch touchscreen that operates on Google’s Android Automotive operating system. Google Maps is seamlessly integrated into the Polestar 2’s navigation system, and apps are displayed much as they are on any Android phone.
Polestar 2 Powertrain and Performance
Going electric comes with tradeoffs. Range is still king, at least until DC fast chargers become commonplace in America. Rarely does an electric car offer the best range AND performance on the same spec. That remains true for the Polestar 2.
If you foresee the need for maximum range, the single-motor variant is rated for 270 miles. Range comes at the expense of power. The single-motor Polestar 2 cranks out 231 horsepower, which is good for a 0-60 time of around 7 seconds. Speed enthusiasts will be inclined to go for the 408 horsepower all-wheel drive (dual-motor) option. The dual-motor Polestar 2 leaps to 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds, which is just a hair ‘slower’ than the dual-motor Model 3. The performance package drops that to 4.1 seconds.
Polestar 2 Over-the-Air Updates
You know what Tesla has that other automakers don’t? A superior charging network, a vertically-integrated platform, and seamless over-the-air (OTA) updates. Other OEMs are catching up slowly but surely. Now, Polestar can tout OTA update capability. An OTA update will increase the dual-motor Polestar 2’s horsepower from 408 to 476 HP and torque from 487 to 502 lb-ft. All that’s needed for an OTA update is a secure wireless internet connection.
Polestar 2 Range and Charging
The Polestar 2 is powered by Volvo’s electric Compact Modular Architecture (CMA). A 78.0-kWh lithium-ion battery pack (75 kWh usable) lies under the floor. The single-motor model has a range of 270 miles, and the dual-motor variant should make it 249 miles on a single charge. Real-world tests have found that highway driving cuts range considerably. Car and Driver’s 75 mpg highway test yielded just 190 miles of range. For comparison, the dual-motor Tesla Model 3 managed 310 miles at 70 mph.
Charging is not one of the Polestar 2’s strengths, at least compared to the major competitors. The powertrain supports DC fast-charging up to 150 kilowatts. That’s similar to the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Volkswagen ID.4, but slower than what you’ll get in a Model 3, IONIQ 5 or Kia EV6. Polestar claims a charge time from empty to 80 percent in 40 minutes.
Charging Incentive
Polestar is providing 2 years of free charging sessions (for 30 minutes per session) to new and existing 2021 and 2022 Polestar 2 customers. For those who travel plenty, this could add up to thousands of dollars saved. Tesla no longer offers a free charging incentive, so keep this in mind in addition to the EV tax incentive.
How Much Does the Polestar 2 Cost?
Polestar 2 pricing starts at $47,200 including the $1,300 delivery charge. Upgrading to the dual-motor Polestar 2 will tack on $4,000 for a price of $51,200. The performance pack adds performance brakes, suspension upgrades, performance tires and gold (yes, gold) seat belts for an additional $5,000. The $4,000 plus package adds a heat pump for improved cold weather range, and a long list of luxury upgrades. The $3,200 Pilot package includes upgraded driver assistance tech and better LED headlights.
A fully-loaded Polestar 2 will total up to about $70,000 before taxes. Polestar sells direct to consumers (much like Tesla), so don’t expect any negotiating or surprise dealer fees.
Does the Polestar 2 Qualify For the EV Tax Credit?
Yes! All automakers who have not yet reached the 200,000-sale milestone continue to qualify for the $7,500 EV tax credit. Tesla and General Motors electric vehicles no longer qualify, but revisions to the tax credit are under discussion in 2022. Until Polestar grows their sales numbers considerably, their electric models will continue to qualify for this incentive in the US. State incentives may provide additional ways of lowering the total cost of ownership for the Polestar 2.
What’s Next For Polestar? Polestar 3 Pricing and Specs
The Polestar 3 electric crossover SUV should arrive in the North American market in the first quarter of 2023. Volvo will make the 3 in America at Volvo’s South Carolina production plant. Polestar has not released many details about the 3, but it is expected to start around $60,000 to $70,000 considering the base MSRPs of the Tesla Model Y, BMX iX, and others.
The electric vehicle space is heating up, and Volvo’s Polestar brand is going full steam ahead. The Polestar 2 represents a compelling alternative to the best-selling Tesla Model 3. Will Swedish sophistication and sharp looks be enough to propel Polestar into the list of top EV contenders? Time will tell.
