Tesla Now Offers Vinyl Wraps, and They’re Not Cheap

• Tesla begins offering color wraps for the Model 3 and Model Y in seven colors, to be installed by two official Tesla Service Centers in California.

• The seven color wraps are priced at $7500 or $8000, while a clear wrap will cost owners $5000.

• Aftermarket wraps have become a popular item—but by no means inexpensive—for Teslas, as the automaker offers only one no-cost paint option for the Model 3 and Model Y, and four options that cost $1000, $1500, or $2000.

Tesla is notorious for working to reduce the complexity of its vehicles, including paint options, and has made other efforts to streamline production as much as possible. That's how the automaker has begun offering software-locked batteries instead of fitting cars with smaller batteries for shorter-range models.

But the EV maker has now found a new way to make money from exterior vehicle colors, given the popular demand from its owners. And we're actually a little surprised this option took this long to materialize.

Tesla has started offering vinyl wraps in different colors as official options in a variety of colors, in lieu of actual paint options. The wraps colors are Glacier Blue, Forest Green, Satin Rose Gold, Slip Grey, Satin Ceramic White, Satin Stealth Black, and Crimson Red.

"Offered in seven exclusive colors, this self-healing urethane-based film protects the paint beneath from chips, scratches and swirling," the automaker promises.

But they're not exactly cheap. The wraps are priced at $7500 or $8000, and are now available only for the Model 3 and Model Y. A clear wrap, on the other hand, is priced at $5000.

The good news is that these prices include materials and installation.

The bad news is that participating Tesla service centers that will actually perform the installations include just the Carlsbad, CA, and West Covina CA, locations.

We suspect this option program arose from the fact that Tesla had very few paint options to start with, feeding all of that money to the vinyl wrap aftermarket. If you pay attention to the Teslas you see in traffic every day, you'll quickly notice that they're mostly just a handful of colors if they're wearing paint. But every once in a while you'll see some kind of maroon or a dark green hue, or something even wilder. In most cases those are wraps instead of repaints.

Of course, another way of looking at this is that Tesla could have simply offered these seven wrap colors as new paint options at a much lower price—paint that would have been permanent, we might add. But Tesla probably would not have been able to charge people $8000 for a paint option, at least not too many people.

But now, it can charge buyers $8000 for exterior colors that aren't permanent. High-quality repaints, on the other hand, can exceed the $8000 mark, so this is still a cost-effective alternative to a repaint if one is needed or desired.

When it comes to actual paint colors, only Midnight Silver Metallic is a no-cost option for the Model 3 and Model Y. Pearl White Multi Coat is a $1000 option, as is Deep Blue Metallic. But Black paint is a $1500 option, so if you want to look like a limo driver you have to pay extra, while Red Multi-Coat is a $2000 option.

These paint options seem like bargains compared to the vinyl wraps, by comparison, and it's also a bit strange that there is not currently a silver metallic option when it comes to paint now that we think about it.

Overall, wraps appear to be a popular and perhaps cost-effective alternative to high-quality repaints, but are also a bit of a pricey fashion item.

Will wraps at these prices make sense for some Tesla owners, or is this too niche of a fad? Let us know in the comments below.