Car dealers in New York, New Jersey and several other states are waging legal, legislative and regulatory campaigns to stop Tesla, the fast-growing electric-car company, from selling its vehicles directly to consumers. These moves are little more than attempts to protect an old retail model by limiting consumer choices.

In Ohio, dealers are suing Tesla, arguing that it is violating state auto franchise laws. In New Jersey, the state Coalition of Automotive Retailers has successfully pressed the Motor Vehicle Commission to forbid sales at two Tesla-owned retail stores. And, in New York, dealers’ associations are lobbying legislators to prohibit car manufacturers from bypassing dealerships and selling directly to consumers.

The auto sales industry grew up decades ago when carmakers contracted with independently owned dealerships to sell and service their cars. Many state laws regulating car sales came out of that model. Some, like lemon laws, clearly protect consumers. Others, like restrictions on retail sales by automakers, were meant to protect dealers from having to compete with their suppliers. Some states, like Texas, prohibit direct sales, while others, like New York, have allowed direct sales by companies like Tesla that never contracted with franchised dealers.

The dealers’ associations say the laws against direct sales encourage price competition among dealers for a particular brand of car. While dealers do compete with each other, consumers can end up paying more when they buy through middlemen than directly from producers.