While Teslas are filled with a plethora of industry-leading features, new owners are often surprised by the incredible quality of the Tesla audio system and its audio features.
In fact, it is believed that Tesla’s sound systems are on-par with premium Bang and Olufsen systems ($12,000 optional sound system in vehicles like the Audi A8). Elon Musk even admitted in a tweet that they used former Bang and Olufsen engineers to design the audio systems found in the Model 3 and Model Y.
Tesla continues to refine the audio experience for Tesla owners, as indicated by the release of the new subwoofer equalizer settings as of update 2021.44.25.
With this incredible audio experience standard across all models, it should come as no surprise that music streaming is a priority for Tesla.
Premium Connectivity
Part of the selling points of Tesla’s Premium Connectivity is the seamless music streaming abilities offered by Tesla.
With a Premium Connectivity plan, drivers can easily stream audio without the use of cellphone pairing solutions or Bluetooth streaming.
Bluetooth Audio
If a Tesla driver chooses not to purchase the Tesla Premium Connectivity Plan, they can stream audio via Bluetooth from their cellphone.
Audiophiles would point out that the act of streaming via Bluetooth degrades the quality of the music to compress the data stream for wireless transmission. A physical connection with a USB cable connected to a cellphone is not currently supported by Tesla.
Hotspot
In addition, drivers can use their cellphone as a hotspot, allowing the vehicle to stream audio such as Spotify using their device's data connection.
When using your device as a hotspot, you'll have access to almost all of Tesla's features included in Premium Connectivity. These include audio and video streaming services like Spotify and Netflix (accounts with these services are still required), Caraoke and more.
The only options it doesn't include are live traffic visualizations and satellite-view maps.
Available Tesla Music Streaming Services
Like many modern vehicle manufacturers, Tesla has focused on developing an infotainment ecosystem that relies on streaming services to deliver music and podcast streams to the driver via Wi-Fi and cellular connections.
Many of these services are premium services not routinely found in standard car software. Currently, Tesla offers a direct stream from Apple Music, Spotify, Slacker, TIDAL, and TuneIn. This is in addition to FM radio and SiriusXM for the Model S and Model X.
Tesla Streaming (Slacker Radio)
While branded as a Tesla streaming service, Tesla has partnered with Slacker Radio to provide a free Slacker Plus account (ad-free) to Tesla Premium Connectivity customers. In the US, this music service shows up in the vehicle simply as "Streaming."
This account mirrors the features of a Slacker Premium account, enabling drivers to search for songs using voice commands, create and stream playlists, and enjoy curated streaming stations for their enjoyment.
Spotify
Arguably the most well-known of the streaming options, Spotify has built a reputation for exclusive high-quality podcasts and playlist management that makes them one of the most popular streaming services in the world (current market share of 31% of the global streaming market). While not known for its audio playback quality, Spotify’s streaming service offers an industry-leading catalog of material that is popular with Tesla drivers.
Although Spotify offers the ability to stream songs with a higher bit rate (HQ), it is currently not available in Teslas.
Apple Music
Apple Music is the second most popular music streaming service in the U.S. It was notably absent from Tesla's software until recently. However, with the 2022 holiday update, Tesla finally added support for the popular music service.
Apple Music is offered on all Teslas, spanning all the way back to 2012 with the first Model S. It's also included in the Model 3, Model Y and Model X, however, availability does vary by country. It's available in most countries around the globe, but there are a few exceptions.
Although Tesla offers access to Apple Music in their vehicles, not all Apple Music features are available. Notably missing is support for Dolby Atmos and Apple Music Sing. You will be able to stream any song on Apple Music and access your own playlists as well as Apple's featured music and playlists. Apple Music, like every any other Tesla music service, is integrated into Tesla's voice commands, letting you play any song through the use of your voice.
TIDAL
Tidal’s ad-free music streaming service is billed as a premium lossless music stream (indicating a higher quality audio experience when compared to other Tesla streaming partners).
Tesla users with a TIDAL HiFi subscription can stream audio files at 1411 Kbps using a lossless codec that doesn’t sacrifice quality for streaming bandwidth speeds.
However, users have noted that streaming these lossless files over an LTE connection can cause frequent buffering issues due to the large file sizes.
TIDAL does offer the ability to download songs via Wi-Fi to prevent buffering issues.
TuneIn
A lesser-known subscription-based streaming product, TuneIn offers Tesla drivers ad-free streaming of music, news networks (CNBC, CNN, FOX News Radio, and MSNBC), and live play-by-play sports with no blackouts from the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL.
There is a free tier for TuneIn users interested in listening to their curated playlists and sports radio products.
You can simply navigate to TuneIn and start listening; no need to create an account.
SiriusXM
Popular for its large selection of curated music stations, talk radio catalog, and sports streaming, SiriusXM is a leading subscription and semi-ad-supported streaming solution for the U.S. and Canadian markets.
SiriusXM is only available in the Model S and Model X using a satellite receiver which is not available in the Model 3 or Model Y.
Tesla Caraoke is Tesla’s version of the popular karaoke format. The free service (requires Premium Connectivity or Wi-Fi) allows drivers to play and sing popular karaoke songs directly from their car's infotainment system.
USB Drive (Downloaded MP3s)
For owners who prefer to play their own downloaded music collection, Tesla also allows you to plug in a USB drive and play MP3s directly from your device.
This feature can be useful if you don't subscribe to Tesla's Premium Connectivity or sometimes drive in areas with poor reception.
Your USB drive will need to be formatted using exFAT for this to work. Once the drive is plugged in you'll be able to access your music via a new USB icon available in the launcher.
Tesla will then let you view your music by artist, album, song title, or even search for your favorite songs.
Hide Music Apps / Sources
You can hide any music apps that you don't use
Not a Tesla App
If there are certain music sources that you don't use, you can prevent them from showing up in the vehicle's Apps menu in the launcher. Simply open your music player, select the right-hand most button for options, choose Sources and then unselect any sources you'd like to hide.
You can navigate back to this menu to re-enable sources at any time.
Missing Streaming Services
Amazon Music, the third most popular music streaming service in the U.S. remains absent from Tesla’s streaming options. Pandora is also not yet available from Tesla’s infotainment system.
While a YouTube video app is available in the Theater section of the Tesla infotainment system (while parked), YouTube’s music streaming service, YouTube Music, is currently not supported.
It should be noted that workarounds exist for playing content from excluded streaming services like Pandora, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Youtube Music, etc. through the use of Bluetooth streaming.
FM & AM Radio
Tesla's also offer traditional FM radio. The Tesla interface will automatically show you all the available stations around you so that you quickly start listening to a station without having to use a dial.
Although older Model S and Model X vehicles had the ability to listen to AM radio, that capability is no longer available in newer cars. However, TuneIn has many stations available for streaming, so your favorite AM station may also be available to stream for free on TuneIn.
Tesla launched its adaptive headlights for vehicles with matrix headlights in software update 2024.2. However, the launch excluded North America, where the regulations for adaptive headlights differ from those in Europe.
While Transport Canada has approved adaptive headlight use since 2018, NHTSA has lagged behind considerably, with regulation approval only coming last year. While other manufacturers like Rivian have already launched adaptive headlights in the United States, Tesla is still working on their implementation. The good news is that it looks like Tesla is finally close to completing its implementation of the feature and all recent vehicles will be supported in a software update soon.
Lars Moravy, VP of Vehicle Engineering at Tesla, confirmed on X that adaptive headlight functionality is around the corner for North America. Tesla has already added some changes for matrix headlights with update 2024.20 in North America, but the changes are very subtle.
Adaptive Headlights
@DBurkland
Matrix headlights are able to independently control their LEDs to adapt to the light distribution pattern based on traffic conditions and road curvature. That means you can selectively brighten, dim, activate, or deactivate specific pixels in the matrix array to form dark or light areas in the headlight pattern.
Effectively, you can have perfect high beams while not dazzling drivers or pedestrians in front of your vehicle. Essentially, as oncoming traffic or traffic ahead of you is recognized, the matrix array will track them and blot out the light that would be landing on their vehicle.
How to Tell If You Have Matrix Headlights
To check if your Tesla has matrix headlights, examine the outer edge of the headlight. If there’s a prominent, round projector dome (see the image below), your headlights are likely matrix. If this dome is absent, you have standard, non-matrix headlights.
Another way to confirm is to run a stock light show while parked facing a wall; if the Tesla logo appears in letters, matrix headlights are installed. In general, all Teslas produced after January 2023 come with matrix headlights, while models built between December 2021 and early 2023 may have them, depending on the availability of parts and your region.
Matrix headlights have a circular dome projector on the outer edge
Not a Tesla App
Release Date
Tesla has been developing support for adaptive headlights for North America for some time now. Lars has commented on Tesla’s work on bringing the feature to North America before, but his latest “almost there” comment suggests Tesla is close to releasing the feature.
Tesla has various headlight designs, and the implementation could be different depending on the model, so not all models may receive support at the same time. Given Tesla’s most popular vehicles, we may see this added to the Model 3 and Model Y before the Model S, Model X, and the new Model 3.
The addition of adaptive headlights is a huge safety feature and one that will also have a positive effect on safety ratings, so expect Tesla to prioritize this feature over others. Given the timing, we may even see this as part of Tesla’s upcoming holiday update.
Depending on your region, Tesla offers two or three Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). They may be available as a one-time purchase or as a subscription model.
Autopilot, the basic package, is now available for free on all Tesla vehicles. However, that hasn’t always been the case and if you’re buying a used Tesla, it may not come with Basic Autopilot.
Enhanced Autopilot offers a few additional features, but its availability will vary depending on the market. It has previously been available for purchase in North America, but it’s currently unavailable as Tesla tries to push more people toward the now cheaper FSD option.
Finally, FSD—or Full Self-Driving—is Tesla’s capstone feature. It allows its vehicles to drive to most locations without a driver intervention but requires constant supervision.
We’ll break down each of the three offerings and what they include below.
Basic Autopilot
Tesla’s standard offering is Basic Autopilot. It comes on every new vehicle for free (since about 2019), and there are no additional charges for it. Autopilot consists of two key features, “Traffic-Aware Cruise Control” and “Autosteer”.
Alongside these features, Tesla offers a whole host of safety features, such as Automatic Emergency Braking, that are included with every vehicle. Some vehicles may require HW3, which was launched in 2019.
Traffic-Aware Cruise Control
Traffic-Aware Cruise Control, or TACC, as it is more commonly known, is enhanced cruise control. The driver is still steering, but TACC automatically adjusts the vehicle's speed to maintain the following distance from vehicles in front.
TACC is initiated with one downward tap of the right steering stalk. If the vehicle includes FSD and it is enabled under Controls > Autopilot, it must be turned off before TACC is available.
TACC following distances can be adjusted by pushing the right scroll wheel on the steering wheel or yoke to the left or right. You can adjust TACC’s speed (up to +10mph or +10km/h above the posted limit on non-highways) by scrolling the same wheel up and down.
Autosteer
Autosteer is essentially an enhanced lane-keeping system. It works in conjunction with TACC to keep the car in the marked (or unmarked) lane. It is functional at any speed above 10 mph or 15 km/h but will not stop for stop signs or lights. This is important to keep in mind, as Autosteer is extremely useful but will not obey any traffic control signs, perform turns, or change lanes. It requires full driver supervision at all times.
Autosteer functions on both surface roads and highways, with no limitations on surface roads other than the same limits that apply to TACC on surface roads regarding maximum speed. Autosteer can greatly help reduce driver fatigue, and drivers can take over whenever they need to turn, use an off-ramp, or encounter a traffic control like a stop sign or traffic lights.
One of the coolest things you’ll notice on Autopilot, whether on the highway or on a regular road, is that it will provide extra space for larger vehicles – it will move over within the lane to ensure that adequate space is maintained. This is also beneficial to cyclists, who are provided the correct 5 ft (1.5m) distance between them and a vehicle. Don’t be scared if your Tesla moves to the edge of the lane to give them a little space.
Park Assist
Not a Tesla App
Tesla's Park Assist feature (video) provides a 3D reconstruction of the vehicle's surroundings while parking, similar to a 360-degree camera but with 3D models built in real-time.
The system leverages Tesla Vision to create the surrounding environment, including cars, pillars, bikes, and other nearby objects. It may not recognize all the objects, but it can define their outlines and build a 3D model.
Each 3D model is gray, but changes color the closer the vehicle gets to the object. The objects go from gray to yellow, orange, and finally red.
Since these are actual 3D models, you can even pan and rotate the on-screen models to view them from various angles.
The new Park Assist feature is available on all vehicles powered by AMD Ryzen chips. Tesla started adding AMD Ryzen chips in early 2022, but you can confirm your vehicle’s infotainment chipset by navigating to Controls > Software in the vehicle and tapping on Additional Vehicle Information. Here, you’ll be able to see if your vehicle has the Intel Atom chip or the AMD Ryzen chipset.
For vehicles with Intel chipsets, your car will display distances to objects using its ultrasonic sensors instead of a 3D visualization of the objects on the screen.
Enhanced Autopilot (EAP)
Enhanced Autopilot was a purchase option and even a subscription feature available in some regions. However, it is no longer available for purchase in North America, but it is still available for those owners who previously purchased it. For owners who have purchased EAP, it is also still available.
Enhanced Autopilot adds some convenience features on top of the Basic Autopilot functionality that improves highway driving and helping out in parking lots.
EAP was previously available for $6,000 USD or $7,800 CAD.
Auto Lane Change
Auto Lane Change is just what it sounds like. While on Autopilot and on a multiple-lane road or highway, Autopilot will automatically change lanes to maintain the set speed, if possible. This means it will switch lanes to pass other cars on the road that are driving slower than your set speed limit.
Definitely a great convenience feature for road-tripping.
Navigate on Autopilot
Navigate on Autopilot is an enhancement for Autopilot on highways, taking Auto Lane Change up another notch. It lets your Tesla take control and manage on-ramps and off-ramps, and most importantly, it will change lanes for you to make sure your vehicle is in the correct lane for you to get off the correct exit, onto the next highway or move away from an exit-only lane. This is an excellent feature in a bigger city that you may be unfamiliar with, as it makes sure you’re in the correct lane to stay on your route.
Navigate on Autopilot will automatically signal and take the off-ramp to your navigation destination, handing over control to the driver near the end of the onramp.
Navigate on Autopilot will both visually and audibly ping the driver to take over once it has reached the end of the off-ramp, and the driver is expected to take control for the turn off the ramp. Auto Lane Change will put you in the correct turn lane before it pings for control takeover.
Once again, similar to Autosteer, Navigate on Autopilot is not able to manage traffic controls or turns, which means it will require the driver to take over once it is done. Just like every other autonomy feature from Tesla today, this requires driver supervision.
Autopark
Not a Tesla App
With EAP, your Tesla can reverse park or parallel park itself, thanks to Autopark, which is now available for Tesla Vision vehicles. Autopark was recently revamped, making it faster and more reliable. Tesla is also expected to add Park Seek as part of EAP in a future update.
When driving slow enough (below 6mph or 10km/h), parking spots will appear on the visualization, letting you select a spot. The vehicle will ask to be brought to a stop, and then you can tap the screen (or confirm with the buttons on a Model S or X), and the vehicle will begin parking.
Enjoy this moment as your Tesla parks itself hands-free. While you can release the seatbelt during Autopark, you should always supervise your Tesla while it is moving on its own, as it is not perfect and will occasionally need the driver to intervene.
Basic Autopilot
Enhanced Autopilot
FSD
TACC
Yes
Yes
Yes
Autosteer
Yes
Yes
Yes
Auto Lane Change
No
Yes
Yes
Navigate on Autopilot
No
Yes
Yes
Autopark
No
Yes
Yes
Summon / Smart Summon
No
Yes
Yes
Traffic Control
No
No
Yes
City Streets
No
No
Yes
Price
Included
N/A
$8,000 USD
Summon
AIDRIVR
Summon has two options; one allows you to move the vehicle backward or forward using the Tesla app on your phone, enabling you to get in and out of tight parking spaces like those in a parking garage. Summon has a maximum distance of 39 ft (or 12m) in either direction of the starting position.
The other option, Smart Summon, will bring your car to you in a parking lot or driveway, letting it automatically switch between forward and reverse, make turns, and stop for obstacles. For Smart Summon to function, you need to be within approximately 215 ft (65m) of your vehicle. It will exit the parking spot and then drive towards you.
However, Smart Summon is currently limited to vehicles with ultrasonic sensors (USS). Tesla has already started rolling out a new version of Smart Summon called Actually Smart Summon that will make it available on all Tesla vehicles. Actually Smart Summon is currently available in North America on recent builds of FSD, but it’s expected to be more widely available later this year.
Summon is in beta and should be carefully supervised. We highly recommend that you do not use Smart Summon in a busy parking lot until the Actually Smart Summon update is deployed.
Full Self Driving (Supervised)
FSD (Supervised) is the current top-end package for Tesla’s autonomy. It is available with a monthly subscription in North America at $99 USD / $99 CAD, or for purchase at $8,000 USD or $11,000 CAD. The United States also has an annual subscription option that offers a slight discount, but that option is currently unavailable in Canada.
FSD allows your Tesla to drive from point A to point B almost entirely on its own, with the driver supervising it. One thing to keep in mind is that the software stack that governs FSD on city streets and the one that governs Autopilot on the highway is fairly different, with city streets including more advanced capabilities. However, this is expected to change in the near future as Tesla adds support for the highway to its FSD tech stack.
We recommend subscribing for a month and trying it out – or you may have already received a free month of FSD as a trial.
The FSD package includes everything in Enhanced Autopilot, city street driving and a few additional options, such as Green Traffic Light Chime, which has the vehicle beep when a traffic light turns green if your vehicle hasn’t moved in about a second.
FSD (Supervised)
FSD V12, also known as FSD (Supervised), is the latest version of Tesla’s Full Self Driving package. It is capable of tackling most situations that a driver can encounter. However, as with all autonomy products, it isn’t perfect and needs driver supervision – hence the “Supervised” in the name.
FSD is fairly simple for the user – set a navigation destination and tap down once on the right steering stalk, and FSD will take over driving. You must always remain attentive of the vehicle and be prepared to stop it in a dangerous situation.
FSD will stop for stop signs and traffic lights, maneuver between lanes as necessary, and take all the turns you need to take. It can handle encountering things like road construction, 2-way stops, 5-way intersections, and much more with the driver supervising it. For the most part, with recent versions of FSD, you won’t need to intervene often while driving.
FSD will take you to your destination, and depending on where that is, it may bring you directly to your driveway or right into a parking lot, where you can then enable Autopark to park your vehicle.
![Tesla is Expanding the Free FSD Trial For Some [Updated]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/img/containers/article_images/2024/trial_extension_tescalendar.jpg/a788359dad50b67c79e117776014e4b5/trial_extension_tescalendar.jpg)
