(Reuters) - Tesla reported a higher-than-expected profit margin for the third quarter on Wednesday even as it offered lucrative financial incentives to boost demand for its aging electric vehicle line up.

The company's profit margin of 19.8% in the July-September period was higher than estimates of 17.3%, according to 21 analysts polled by LSEG. That compared with 18% in the second quarter.

(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru and Abhirup Roy in San Francisco; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)