Put a deposit down on a car that keeps sliding down the production schedule? Here's what I wish someone had told me three years ago when I reserved mine. First, read the actual terms you agreed to, not the marketing page. Most pre-order agreements say the money is refundable on request, but some quietly move it to a non-refundable stage once you hit a certain milestone. Know which one you're in. Second, request the refund in writing thru the official channel and save the confirmation email. A phone call means nothing if the company drags its feet. Third, check what card you paid with. If the deposit sat on a credit card, you generaly have a much stronger position disputing a charge than if you wired cash or used a debit card. Dispute windows are limited, so find out your date and mark it on a calendar somewhere you'll actualy see it. Last thing, and this is the part I learned the hard way. Don't count that deposit toward your budget for a diferent purchase untill it's back in your account. 'It's coming eventually' is not a financial plan.
A quick guide to protecting your pre-order money before it's too late
Oct 15, 2026
Last reply: 1 hour ago
3 Replies
I put mine down back in 2019 and the money has been sitting there ever since. The credit card point is the one that matters most, and I learned it from the wrong side. I paid part of my deposit by bank transfer beacuse the card option had a limit I didn't want to deal with. Big mistake. When I asked for my money back in 2022, the written request just got a canned reply about updated production timelines, and with a wire there was basically no chargeback path worth trying. I'm still waiting and I've stopped pretending otherwise.
The calendar thing is real too. My card dispute window for the portion I did put on the card closed before I even realized I wanted out. By the time I got around to it, the card issuer told me the purchase was too old to contest. I had no idea those windows could be that short. One thing I'd add from my own experience. Every year or so I get an email asking me to confirm my reservation details, address, configuration, stuff like that. Replying to those with a written question about my position in the queue at least creates a paper trail with dates on it. Not that it's gotten me anywhere, but if it ever comes to a formal dispute, having three years of dated correspondence beats having nothing but a phone call I made once in 2021.
Mine finally came back last year after about eight months of waiting. What seemed to shake it loose was mentioning my state's attorney general consumer complaint form in an email. Didn't even have to file it, just saying I was prepared to got a real response within a week or so. So if the canned replies keep coming, it might be worth looking up what complaint options exist where you live before you give up on the money. Curious if anyone's had luck with that route or if I just got lucky with whoever read my email that day.
This thread takes me back. When I reserved my first EV in 2013 the outfit didn't even take cards, you mailed a paper check. Sounded primitive at the time but it turned out handy, the canceled check image from my bank showed payee, date and amount all in one place, and years later that was the only proof they'd accept when I asked about my spot in line.
If anyone here has an old reservation like that, go pull the check image or the statement page before your bank purges it. My credit union only keeps records so long and I nearly missed the cutoff on mine.
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