Four people familiar with Tesla’s retail operations have reported that from 2019 to 2024, the company told leasing customers they would be unable to buy their vehicle at the end of their lease, instead forcing them to return it to Tesla.

Tesla last November ended an unusual policy that prohibited U.S. leasing customers from buying their cars at lease-end. The policy started in 2019, when Tesla announced that customers could lease its mass-market Model 3 sedans but would have to return them, at the end of the lease, for use in Tesla’s planned “robotaxi” network.

Tesla last November ended an unusual policy that prohibited U.S. leasing customers from buying their cars at lease-end.