Tesla's Holiday Update: The 15 Undocumented Features

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While Tesla’s exciting holiday update is now behind us, it left us with amazing new features, such as weather radar, Apple Watch support, mobile Dashcam viewer, SiriusXM, and so many other great features that some of us now use every day.

However, it doesn’t end there. Tesla always includes other smaller changes that don’t make it into the release notes, and the holiday update was a big one in terms of undocumented changes.

We’ll go through all the new features that are now available in your vehicle that Tesla didn’t show in their release notes.

Precipitation Map

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While this feature did make it to the release notes, some users may still not be aware that the Precipitation Map (weather radar) is now available on all Teslas with the Intel infotainment unit (except for legacy Model S/X). This feature was requested so long ago that, honestly, we didn’t think it’d ever be released. All Model 3, Model Y and 2021+ Model S and X vehicles now have access to the weather radar map overlay.

Fart on Sit

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For the Emissions Testing Mode easter egg, you can now have your vehicle fart when someone sits down in their seat.

The sound will come from the direction of their seat. For example, a fart sound will sound from the front-right speaker when someone sits in the front passenger seat. It will play the sound selected in the fart selection box, or play a random fart if you choose "I'm so random."

This option defaults to off after every drive.

Voice Assistant

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You can now say 'Hi' or 'Hello' to your vehicle through the voice command prompt, and the vehicle will respond with "Hello!"

This is the first sign of Tesla adding a smart voice assistant to the vehicle, which is expected to be powered by Grok.

Voice Command Changes

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If you use Tesla's voice commands, there are a few changes. When you press the voice command button on the steering wheel, you may now not get audible feedback that the button has been pressed. This will depend on whether there’s music playing or other circumstances.

When sending a text message through a voice command, you may now have to press the steering wheel button again to start dictation after choosing a recipient. It’s not clear what’s causing this change, as sometimes it goes straight into dictation mode, while other times it ask you to press the button to start dictation.

Equalizer

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You can now reset the equalizer settings with the touch of a button by tapping the new circular arrow to the right of the equalizer. This will bring all settings back down to 0.

Performance Improvements

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Intel users are seeing performance improvements while using the Tesla interface, especially in more demanding areas like Tesla Theater. Videos on YouTube now stutter less and Tesla Theater can be minimized more smoothly than before.

The media controls can now control YouTube videos and other web video content as well, even after the vehicle is put into drive.

Service Mode Updates

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Several screens in Service Mode have been updated to show larger visualizations, such as the Airbags and Seats menu.

Tesla has also introduced several new visualizations to vehicles with the Intel infotainment unit, that were previously only available on AMD-based vehicles. Some of these includes Coolant and HVAC options.

The only new feature in Service Mode is for the Cybertruck under Service Mode Plus, which includes:

Connector Reference (Service Mode Plus): A new Connector Reference panel is available to help find connectors and highlight harnesses on the vehicle. Rotate the 3D model to explore or type in the search bar to find a specific connector.

Rearranged Menus

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With the addition of the Seats menu to settings, Tesla has now rearranged the menu options so that the more used options are now more easily accessible.

The Software menu has been moved up, while other options like Navigation and Trips have been moved down to be close to WiFi, Bluetooth and Upgrades.

Selected Custom Lock Sound

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The currently selected custom lock sound is now shown underneath the Lock Confirmation Sound option in the Controls > Locks menu.

Ambient Lighting Easter Eggs

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The Rainbow Road and Santa Mode easter eggs have been updated on vehicles that include the ambient lighting feature.

There are new options in these easter eggs that let you enable or disable the ambient lighting while the easter egg is active.

If enabled, the light strips will cycle through colors of the rainbow when the Rainbow Road easter egg is enabled. For Santa Mode, the interior lights will cycle between red, green and white.

Updated Energy App

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The Consumption tab in the Energy app has been updated with several changes, including:

• The last 200 miles are now shown, instead of a user-selectable, 5, 15 or 30 miles.

• Instant Range / Average Range has been removed to simplify the interface.

• The average range as moved to the top left and now shows the offset from the vehicle's EPA-rated Wh/mi

• Total energy consumption is now displayed at the bottom left.

• The colors now have different meanings. Before this update, yellow meant the vehicle was using energy, while green meant the vehicle was generating energy through Regenerative Braking. However, now, yellow means that the vehicle consumed more than the EPA average, and green means that the vehicle consumed less than the EPA average and doesn’t necessarily mean it generated energy.

Toll Roads

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When navigating to a destination, the alternative routes menu that is displayed when you first enter a destination will now show you which routes include tolls by displaying a dollar sign icon next to the travel time.

Limiting Explicit Content

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The Exlicit Content toggle under Audio Settings now applies to YouTube Music as well. This now supports LiveOne, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and TIDAL.

Charging Icons

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Tesla has redesigned the charging pins that appear on the map. Supercharger and third-party charger pins are now oval-shaped instead of circular.

Instead of just having the number of charging stalls available, Tesla has added the charging icon to make it more obvious these are charging stations.

Adjust Dashcam Viewer Speed

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You can now adjust the Dashcam Viewer's playback speed. Users can pick from 0.5x, 1x or 2x playback speeds by tapping the playback speed button.

Tire Pressure Indicator

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Tapping the tire pressure indicator will now open the tire pressure card on the left side of the screen instead of opening the Service menu under Controls > Service.

If you ever spot a change that isn’t listed in Tesla’s release notes, we’d love to hear about it!

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Tesla 2025 Promotions: $2.5K Off Model 3, Lower Leases, Free Wrap

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With the Q4 2024 earnings call completed, it's time to look forward to Q1 2025 - and that also means new discounts and deals from Tesla. If you’re in the market for a Tesla, now may be a great time to order one.

Tariffs

Whether you’re in North America, Europe, or the Asian-Pacific, tariffs are the line item in financial news lately. As such, if you’re planning to get a new vehicle, it may be best to buy it soon, as tariffs could have a heavy impact on Tesla’s prices, even within the United States.

Like most large manufacturers, Tesla sources parts for its vehicles from several countries. This means that its vehicles will be impacted by tariffs targeting Canada, Mexico, and potentially other countries. While the tariffs for Mexico have been paused for a month, it seems like all of this could change at a moment’s notice.

Tesla sources ~15-25% of its vehicle parts from Mexico and likely an equivalent but undisclosed amount from Canada for its entire vehicle line-up, which means it will be impacted by tariffs.

We expect Tesla and other manufacturers to increase vehicle prices, potentially globally.

Discounts

Tesla is offering several new discounts to take advantage of, which you can use before the tariffs begin impacting prices by Tuesday, February 5th.

Lower Lease Prices

Tesla has reduced lease pricing for several vehicles in its lineup. Tesla also recently introduced the ability to buy out the lease in the future, giving you added flexibility. These leasing deals are only available in the United States.

Cybertruck AWD: $749/mo (down from $899/mo)

Model 3 LR RWD: $249/mo (down from $299/mo)

Model 3 LR AWD: $349/mo (down from $399/mo)

Referrals

Tesla is now offering buyers in the United States only a $2,500 USD discount on all versions of the Model 3 when using a referral code. This only applies to the new Model 3, which is one of Tesla’s best vehicles. Other vehicle discounts when using a referral code remain at $1,000 off.

The referrer bonus remains at $500, regardless of which vehicle the buyer orders.

Free Wrap for Cybertrucks

Tesla has opened up a lot of demo unit Cybertrucks - mostly the Foundation Series. All these vehicles are being provided with a $1,000 to $2,000 discount and are also eligible for a free wrap with XPEL Vinyl - of your choice - in both Canada and the United States. The XPEL wrap offer is available until March 31st, 2025.

This is likely one of the last chances to get into a Foundation-Series Cybertruck, so now is your opportunity if you’re interested in getting a fully loaded vehicle. While Lifetime Supercharging is gone, the XPEL wrap may be an even better deal if you don’t plan on traveling much with your Cybertruck.

It looks like Tesla is starting off 2025 the way they ended 2024, with a ton of attractive promos. If you’re interested in the Cybertruck or the new Model 3, these offers may be hard to beat.

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Tesla Introduces FSD Discount for Tesla Insurance

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As we previously reported, Tesla was exploring the option of adding discounts to Tesla Insurance for users who actively use FSD. Tesla Insurance is integrated directly right into the app and offers an easy-to-use and seamless experience for those who have access to it - and if you’re an active user of FSD - it's about to get even better.

Tesla already offered discounts based on safety score, which are Tesla’s internal factors determining how safe a driver you are. A higher score means you pay less for insurance, while a lower score increases your rate. Now, FSD use is also a factor in that equation.

FSD (Supervised) Discount

Tesla added a page to its Tesla Insurance support section outlining the new Full Self-Driving (Supervised) discount, so let’s look at exactly what it’s offering.

This discount is aimed at owners in the U.S. who have either purchased or subscribed to FSD. The more you use FSD, the larger the discount on your insurance.

Tesla will compare the total miles driven (overall) against the total miles driven with FSD enabled - giving you an overall percentage of time spent on FSD rather than manual driving. When you meet or exceed 50% of your miles driven with FSD engaged, you’ll receive up to a 10% discount on your insurance premiums. 

Unfortunately, Tesla’s Safety Score and, thus, miles driven on FSD are only available to Tesla Insurance subscribers, which is limited to a variety of states in the U.S.

You can find your total miles driven with FSD by navigating to Safety Score and tapping the round info icon in the top right corner of the app. This displays the information for the current month, while your current discount is displayed under Safety Score > Premium.

The discount is shown as part of your calculated premium.

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How to Qualify

This discount is currently limited - it is only offered in Arizona and Texas at the moment. While it will take effect for new policyholders immediately, existing policyholders will have to wait until March 8th, 2025, to begin taking advantage of the FSD discount. While you can insure non-Tesla vehicles through Tesla Insurance, letting you keep a single policy for all of your vehicles, the FSD discount only applies to Tesla vehicles on your account.

Tesla also notes that the 10% discount doesn’t apply to all portions of the premium - but only to certain eligible coverages. Some ineligible coverages include comprehensive collision coverage, uninsured motorist, and uninsured pedestrian coverage - so your total discount rate may be lower than a full 10%.

If you recently received an FSD trial, the discount will also apply during the trial period. If your trial or subscription lapses, the discount will apply for the previous 30 days, regardless of your subscription status.

While this isn’t the massively cheaper insurance many were hoping for, it can still help offset the price of FSD, especially if you are already a heavy user. For the average insurance policyholder, this will cut between $20 - $40 from your insurance premium, which can cut the price of subscribing to FSD to $60-$80. It was just last year that subscribing to FSD cost $199/month.

Hopefully, Tesla will quickly roll this discount out to more eligible states and continue the expansion of Tesla Insurance into new territories. It’ll be interesting to see how this discount gets adjusted as newer, safer versions of FSD roll out.

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