Winter Driving Tips

Your Tesla vehicle has many features designed to enhance your cold weather driving experience. All Tesla vehicles offer optimal winter driving performance due to equal weight distribution, highly responsive motor control and dynamic traction control.

In cold weather, vehicles use more energy to overcome increased aerodynamic drag and to heat the cabin and high voltage battery. Learn how various features and accessories can ensure the best driving performance in cold weather.

Comfort and Convenience Tips

Explore vehicle and app features to ensure comfort and convenience for your drive.

Precondition Your Vehicle

Preconditioning warms your Tesla vehicle’s battery and cabin ahead of your departure time, ensuring a comfortable driving experience. You can create a schedule from your vehicle touchscreen or the Tesla app to configure the time and frequency you want your vehicle to precondition by.

To create a schedule for preconditioning from your vehicle touchscreen, follow these steps:

  1. Tap ‘Controls’ > ‘Schedule.’
  2. Select the location for which you want to create a schedule.
  3. Tap the icon next to ‘Precondition.’
  4. Select the time, days and frequency for which you want to create a schedule to precondition your vehicle.
  5. Tap ‘Create.’

To create a schedule for preconditioning from the Tesla app, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Tesla app.
  2. Tap ‘Schedule.’
  3. Below ‘Schedule,’ tap to select the location for which you want to create a schedule.
  4. Tap the icon in the upper right corner to get started.
  5. Select the time, days and frequency for which you want to create a schedule to precondition your vehicle.
  6. Tap ‘Create.’

Schedule a Charging Session

Scheduling a charging session allows you to manage when your Tesla vehicle starts and/or ends charging. In cold temperatures, by scheduling a charging session to end closer to your departure time, you can reduce the amount of energy needed to warm up your vehicle’s battery.

To create a charging schedule from your vehicle touchscreen, follow these steps:

  1. Tap ‘Controls’ > ‘Schedule.’
  2. Select the location for which you want to charge your vehicle.
  3. Tap the icon next to ‘Charge.’
  4. Select the time you want your vehicle to start and stop charging, as well as your preferred charging frequency.
  5. Tap ‘Create.’

To create a charging schedule from the Tesla app, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Tesla app.
  2. Tap ‘Schedule.’
  3. Below ‘Schedule,’ tap and select the location for which you want to charge your vehicle.
  4. Tap the icon in the upper right corner to get started.
  5. Select the time you want your vehicle to start and stop charging, as well as your preferred charging frequency.
  6. Tap ‘Create.’

Manage Climate Controls

The climate control system allows you to adjust the following in your Tesla vehicle:

  • Cabin temperature
  • Heating
  • Air conditioning
  • Fan speed
  • Air distribution

For the best experience, we recommend setting the climate control system to ‘Auto.’ When enabled, the Auto setting will automatically adjust heating or air distribution to maintain the set cabin temperature.

To set climate control to ‘Auto’ from your vehicle touchscreen, follow these steps:

  1. Tap the displayed temperature at the bottom of the touchscreen.
  2. Next to the power button, tap ‘Auto.’
  3. Once ‘Auto’ is on, your vehicle will automatically ramp heating or air distribution based on the cabin temperature.

Alternatively, you can lower the cabin temperature and use seat heaters, if equipped, to keep warm as it uses less energy than the cabin heater. Open your climate controls and tap the seat icons to adjust seat heaters.

Note: Tesla vehicles equipped with a heat pump may make additional noise in cold weather conditions as the system works to heat the cabin and battery.

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Charging and Driving Tips

Consider these tips to better understand your vehicle’s driving and charging performance in cold weather.

Use the Energy App

The Energy app on your vehicle touchscreen provides a visual representation of your vehicle’s real-time and projected energy usage.

As you drive, your vehicle measures real-time consumption versus expected and lets you know where you are gaining or losing range based on several factors. Range tips are provided to advise how best to improve your energy consumption.

Similarly, the Energy app tracks energy usage while parked to show you what systems are consuming energy while the vehicle is stationary.

Note: The current Energy app requires software version 2022.36 or later. The current Energy app is not available for 2012-2020 Model S or 2015-2020 Model X.

Plug In Your Vehicle

Heating your vehicle’s battery for faster charging can take more time when starting from colder temperatures. When your vehicle is plugged in, features such as preconditioning rely on external power sources rather than the vehicle’s battery. This maximizes available energy for driving once you unplug your vehicle.

Note: In temperatures well below freezing, your Tesla vehicle may require more power to charge than a standard household outlet can provide. In these conditions, it is still recommended to leave your vehicle plugged in to keep the battery warm.

Use Trip Planner

Trip Planner uses real-time data to provide you with turn-by-turn directions including routing to Supercharger locations if reaching your destination requires charging stops. When driving with Trip Planner enabled, you can see how much energy your vehicle’s battery will have once you reach the Supercharger location as well as the recommended amount of time needed to charge. Additionally, your vehicle will automatically preheat your vehicle’s battery as you approach the Supercharger.

To enable Trip Planner from your vehicle touchscreen, follow these steps:

  1. Tap the map’s settings icon.
  2. Tap ‘Trip Planner.’

Note: Navigating to your destination automatically activates Trip Planner if charging will be required.

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Snow and Ice Tips

When you’re expecting snowy or icy conditions, these tips can help you store and drive your Tesla vehicle safely.

Defog and Defrost

Your vehicle will automatically defog or defrost whenever fogging or frosting conditions are detected. Fogging conditions occur when your vehicle’s windshield interior surface is cool and humidity is present, causing condensation to form on the windshield. Frosting conditions occur when the outside temperature is below freezing and precipitation falls on your vehicle’s windshield, causing a frosted layer to form on the windshield.

To manually defog or defrost your front windshield from your vehicle touchscreen, follow these steps:

  1. Tap the displayed temperature at the bottom of the touchscreen.
  2. To defog the front windshield, tap the front windshield icon once. The icon will turn blue.
  3. To defrost the front windshield, tap the front windshield icon a second time. The icon will turn red.
  4. Tap the front windshield icon a third time to turn it off.

To manually defrost your front windshield from the Tesla app, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Tesla app.
  2. Tap ‘Climate.’
  3. Tap ‘Defrost Car.’

Reduce Ice Buildup on Your Wipers

You can reduce snow or ice buildup by enabling wiper defrosters in some vehicles.

To manually activate the wiper defrosters from your vehicle touchscreen, follow these steps:

  1. Tap the displayed temperature at the bottom of the touchscreen.
  2. Tap the wiper defrost icon once to defrost your wipers.
  3. Tap the icon a second time to turn it off.

If your vehicle doesn’t have wiper defrosters, you can place your wipers in the service position, raising the wipers against the windshield, so they can defrost when the windshield defrosts.

To place your wipers in the service position from your vehicle touchscreen, follow these steps:

  1. Tap ‘Controls.’
  2. Tap ‘Service’ > ‘Wiper Service Mode.’

Turn Off Auto Fold of Mirrors

If ice buildup is expected when you park your vehicle, you can turn off auto fold of your side mirrors.

To turn off auto fold of your side mirrors from your vehicle touchscreen, follow these steps:

  1. Tap ‘Controls.’
  2. Tap ‘Mirrors’ > ‘Mirror Auto-Fold.’

Note: For 2012-2020 Model S and 2015-2020 Model X, tap ‘Controls’ > ‘Vehicle’ > ‘Mirror Auto-Fold.’

If your mirrors are frozen, manually open and close the mirrors to restore automatic mirror fold.

Removing Ice From Door Handle

Ice buildup on your vehicle’s door handle can prevent the door from opening. Review the instructions for your model on how to remove ice from the door handle.

Model S

The door handles are designed to extend by lightly pressing on the handle. If it is difficult to press the door handle, consider setting the handle to automatically extend when you approach the driver’s side with a key.

To set the door handles to automatically extend from your vehicle touchscreen, follow these steps:

  1. Tap ‘Controls.’
  2. Tap ‘Locks’ > ‘Auto-Present Handles.’

Alternatively, you can open a door from the Tesla app home screen by following these steps:

  1. Open the Tesla app.
  2. Tap ‘Controls.’
  3. Tap the arrow next to the respective door to open it.

Model X

The front doors are equipped with ice breakers that push the automatic doors open even when encased in ice. If the door handle is frozen, you can set the driver’s door to open automatically as you approach the vehicle.

You can set the driver’s door to automatically open from your vehicle touchscreen by following these steps:

  1. Tap ‘Controls.’
  2. Tap ‘Locks’ > ‘Automatic Doors.’

Whenever you approach your vehicle with a key, the door handle will automatically extend. You can also open the driver’s door by double-clicking the unlock button on your key fob.

Alternatively, you can open a door from the Tesla app home screen by following these steps:

  1. Open the Tesla app.
  2. Tap ‘Controls.’
  3. Tap the arrow next to the respective door to open it.

Model 3 and Model Y

You can unlatch the driver door from the Tesla app by following these steps:

  1. Open the Tesla app.
  2. Touch and hold one of the quick controls that displays below your vehicle to open the ‘Customize Controls’ view.
  3. Select ‘Unlatch Door’ and drag and drop the control into one of your quick control spots.
  4. Return to the app home screen and tap ‘Unlatch Door’ to pop open the driver door.

Note: In cold temperatures, Model 3 and Model Y automatically make a slight adjustment to the position of the windows to make it easier to open doors if windows are frozen.

Alternatively, you can manually open your vehicle’s door handles. For vehicles with black door handles, follow these steps:

  1. Press the frontmost part of the door handle to break the ice.
  2. Press the rearmost part of the door handle.
  3. Once the handle is able to move, open and close the door a few times to remove any more ice buildup.

For vehicles with silver door handles, follow these steps:

  1. Press the rearmost part of the door handle.
  2. Use your fist to bump on and around the door handle.
  3. Repeat this process until the ice buildup is removed and your door can open.

Clear Exterior Surfaces

As with any vehicle, double check that important surfaces aren’t frozen or covered up before you drive. You should clear any snow built up from your vehicle’s hood, roof and tailgate to prevent it from blowing off and creating a hazard for you or vehicles behind you. Clear additional snow and ice from your vehicle’s surfaces to also reduce drag and improve driving efficiency.

Additionally, you should clear all Autopilot sensors, cameras and the cabin air intake of any ice, snow or debris to ensure that these systems perform efficiently.

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Winter Tyres and Accessories

If you frequently drive on snowy or icy roads, consider these accessories for enhanced performance, safety and control.

Winter Tyres

You can purchase winter wheel and tire packages from the Tesla Shop or at select Tesla Service Centers. Once you have installed your winter tires, you can reset the tire configuration in your vehicle touchscreen by following these steps:

  1. Tap ‘Controls.’
  2. Tap ‘Service’ > ‘Wheel & Tire’ > ‘Tires.’

Note: Tire pressure will decrease as the temperature drops. Consider adding air to tires to maintain good traction and lower rolling resistance.

Snow Chains

Snow chains provide additional traction when driving in snowy or icy conditions. Check your local regulations to see if tire chains are recommended or required during winter months. Snow chains are available for purchase from the Tesla Shop or at select Tesla Service Centers.

Windshield Washer Fluid

Refill with fresh washer fluid rated for cold temperatures. De-icing agents can evaporate over time, so topping off with fresh fluid regularly can help keep your wipers ready for snow and ice.

Paint Protection Film

During the winter season, road conditions can worsen with snow, salt and debris. Consider protecting your vehicle’s paint with Paint Protection Film from the Tesla Shop.

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Additional Information

See the Owner’s Manual for more detailed information about your vehicle:

Note: For the latest and greatest information that is customized to your vehicle, view the Owner’s Manual on your vehicle’s touchscreen by tapping ‘Controls’ > ‘Service’ > ‘Owner’s Manual.’ The information is specific to your vehicle depending on the features you purchased, vehicle configuration, market region and software version.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What if my charge port latch is frozen?

If the charge port latch becomes frozen, use the charge port heater.

You can activate the charge port heater from your vehicle touchscreen by following these steps:

  1. Tap ‘Controls.’
  2. Tap ‘Service’ > ‘Charge Port Heater.’
  3. For additional heating or for vehicles with no charge port heater present, activate Defrost from the Tesla app to aid with charge port thawing.

Note: A frozen charge port will allow AC charging at lower rates with a blinking amber indicator.

I see a blue snowflake icon on my vehicle touchscreen. What does this mean?

A blue snowflake icon may appear on your touchscreen and in the Tesla app if your vehicle’s battery is too cold for full power and ideal range. When this icon is displayed, you may notice reduced regenerative braking and acceleration. Once the vehicle’s battery is warmed, the snowflake will disappear. Charging, driving and preconditioning are all ways to warm your vehicle’s battery.

Note: Leaving your vehicle plugged in whenever possible and keeping the charge level above 50% when not plugged in will reduce the impact of cold temperatures.

Is it normal to see steam release from my vehicle while it is charging in cold weather?

Yes. On vehicles equipped with a heat pump, it is normal for steam or water vapor to be released from the front of the vehicle as the thermal system continues to regulate battery temperature while fast charging.

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