Teslas in Tbilisi

When I arrived in Tbilisi in August 2025, I noticed right away how many Tesla cars this city had. I obviously don't have the exact stats but it seems like they are everywhere and there's a lot more of them compared to other large cities I've been to.

To get around the city, I mostly use public transportation. It is superb here, fully modernized, computerized, and runs mostly on time. There's also an excellent public transportation app with all the bus routes that allows you to plan a trip anywhere in the city. Besides, busses have a designated lane so they move faster in the notoriously congested Tbilisi traffic. If I could, I would take metro everywhere but unfortunately it only has two lines and the metro station nearest to my home is a 30-minute walk.

On those rare occasions when I do have to ride a taxi (for example, to the airport or to the other end of the city which would take me 1.5 hours by bus), I use the Bolt app, the equivalent of Uber or Lyft in the US. Most of the times when the car came on my order, it was a Tesla, usually Model 3. And yesterday when I took my niece to the airport, we got Tesla Model Y with white leather seats. It was spotless new and felt like a true luxury car.

I like talking with the drivers, so I asked many of them questions about why there are so many Teslas in Tbilisi, how they got it and how much it would cost. They said that Bolt, even though does not have an official partnership with Tesla, encourages drivers with EV to join the fleet by giving them earnings incentives and priority in order assignments.

I've also done some research on EV regulation and statistics to complete the picture. So here are some of the main reasons why Teslas are so popular in Tbilisi:

1. Easy & Popular Import Market

Georgia is one of the major EV import hubs in the Caucasus. Electric vehicles (EVs) are exempt from import customs duties. Many cars are shipped here from the U.S., Japan, and Europe because import regulations and customs processes (compared to some neighboring countries) have been favorable for used vehicles, including EVs. That's why there are so many Nissan Jukes here as well, which I wrote about here last year.

Georgia's booming market for repairing and reselling salvaged, damaged US vehicles makes purchasing Teslas, even with shipping and repair costs, economical. Eg., here's a picture of a damaged Model 3 currently being sold at an action in Tbilisi, with a starting bidding price of $9K.

2. Falling Prices

The average price of used electric vehicles (EVs), including Teslas, has been dropping significantly in recent years, making them more affordable than in some Western countries. Depending on the model, a used Tesla can be purchased for $8K for an older Model S to $30K for Models X or Y.

New Teslas sell at prices generally higher than in the US or European markets.

3. Growing EV Interest and Infrastructure

As a mountainous country with powerful rivers and 350 sunny days in the year, Georgia is a leading producer of hydroelectric and solar power in the region, which makes electricity much cheaper than petrol/diesel. Many people charge cars at home or at public chargers. Charging a Tesla Model 3 can cost ~30–60 GEL, or $12-24 for a full charge in local networks, compared to an average of 100-120 GEL for a tank of gas.

Tesla is building a network of affordable chargers across the country. Given the relatively small size of the country with a compact road network, the charging stations are being placed strategically on main roads so that the charging range does not create anxiety in drivers. Here's a picture of a Tesla charging station on a highway outside of the city:

In Tbilisi, EVs are allowed to park in designated parking spots for free, which is a huge incentive for owners as parking is notoriously difficult to find in the city.

4. EV Enthusiasm & Community

There’s a growing community of EV owners and buyers in Georgia who promote importing Teslas and support each other (groups on Facebook, specialized websites, local service centers, etc.).

Tesla dealership in Georgia is present and active, and uses excellent social media strategies. Here's an automatically translated recent Facebook ad:

5. Re-export Demand

Many Teslas imported into Georgia are destined for neighboring markets, including Armenia and in particular sanctioned Russia, where drivers are hungry for the prestigious EVs.

For all these reasons, I predict that the number of Teslas and other EVs will only grow in Georgia and Tbilisi. Better than gas guzzlers, I guess.