Lights

Controlling Lights

Touch Controls > Lights on the touchscreen to access all light controls, both interior and exterior.

You can also pull the turn signal stalk toward you to display a popup that provides quick access to exterior lights. For example, you can turn the headlights on or off continuously (overriding the default Auto High Beam setting). The lights popup allows you to adjust all exterior light settings, including parking lights, fog lights (if equipped), etc. The setting you choose is retained for the current drive only.

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Note
If the touchscreen is already displaying the full Controls screen for lights, pulling the turn signal stalk does not display the quick access popup.

In addition to the lights you can control from the touchscreen, Model 3 has convenience lights that operate automatically based on what you are doing. For example, in low ambient lighting conditions, the interior lights, marker lights, tail lights, and puddle lights turn on when you unlock Model 3, when you open a door, and when you shift into Park. They turn off after a minute or two, when you shift or lock Model 3. Use these settings to control your vehicle's interior and exterior lights:

Headlights

Exterior lights (headlights, tail lights, position lights and license plate lights) are set to Auto each time you start Model 3. When set to Auto, exterior lights automatically turn on when driving in low lighting conditions. If you change to a different setting, lights always revert to Auto on your next drive.

Touch one of these options to change and retain the exterior light setting until adjusted again or the next time you drive:

OFF
Exterior lights turn off. When driving, daytime running lights may remain on based on regulations in various market regions.
Two light icons
Parking lights, side marker lights, tail lights and license plate lights turn on.
A black headlight icon with beams of light angling down
Low beam headlights, side marker lights, parking lights, tail lights, and license plate lights turn on.
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Note
Model 3 has a series of LED lights along the rim of the headlights, also referred to as "signature" lights. These lights automatically turn on whenever Model 3 is powered on and a drive mode (Drive or Reverse) is engaged.
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CAUTION
The rear tail lights are off when daytime running lights are on. Be sure the rear lights are on during low rear visibility conditions (for example, when it is dark, foggy, snowy, or the road is wet, etc.). Failure to do so can cause damage or serious injury.
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Warning
Always ensure that headlights are on during low visibility conditions. Failure to do so may result in a collision.

Fog Lights

A separate control is available to turn on fog lights (if equipped). When on, fog lights operate whenever low beam headlights are on. When headlights are turned off, fog lights also turn off.

Dome Lights

Turn the interior dome (map) lights on or off. If set to AUTO, the interior dome lights turn on when you unlock Model 3, open a door upon exiting, or shift into Park.

Two buttons on either side of the rear view mirror

You can also manually turn an individual dome light on or off by pressing its lens. If you manually turn a dome light on, it turns off when Model 3 powers off. If Model 3 was already powered off when you manually turned the light on, it eventually turns off.

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Note
To control the backlighting on the steering wheel buttons, touch Controls > Lights > Steering Wheel Lights. If on, they turn on whenever headlights are on.

Steering Wheel Lights

If you turn on Steering Wheel Lights, the arrows associated with the scroll buttons are backlit in low ambient lighting conditions.

High Beam Headlights

You can temporarily turn on high beams by pulling the turn signal stalk toward you. When you release, high beam headlights turn off.

To briefly flash the high beam headlights, pull the turn signal stalk towards you and immediately release.

By default, Adaptive Headlights is enabled to allow high beam headlights to automatically adjust based on whether or not Model 3 detects a vehicle approaching from the opposite direction.

Gear stalk with arrows pointing toward you
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Note
Your chosen setting is retained until you manually change it.

The following indicator lights are visible on the touchscreen to show the status of the headlights:

A green headlight icon with beams of light angling down
Low beam headlights are on.
A blue headlight icon with beams of horizontal light
High beam headlights are on and Adaptive Headlights is disabled or currently unavailable.
A blue headlight icon with an A with horizontal beams of light
Adaptive Headlights is enabled and high beams are on. Model 3 is ready to turn off the high beams if light is detected.
A gray headlight icon with an A with horizontal beams of light
Adaptive Headlights is enabled but high beams are not on because light is detected in front of Model 3. When light is no longer detected, high beams automatically turn back on.

Adaptive Headlights

When Adaptive Headlights is enabled, the beam of the headlights adjusts automatically to improve your driving view. For example, when traffic is approaching Model 3 and the high beam headlights are on, individual pixels of the high beam headlights dim to reduce glare.

Likewise, when the low beam headlights are on and you are driving on a highway, the headlights adjust to illuminate more of the road.

The headlights also adjust to curves on the road ahead to provide greater visibility at night.

To control this feature, touch Controls > Lights > Adaptive Headlights, or by using the lights popup that displays on the touchscreen when you pull the turn signal stalk toward you.

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Note
Adaptive Headlights is automatically enabled when Autosteer is engaged. To switch to low beam headlights, push the turn signal stalk forward and release. Adaptive Headlights is re-enabled every time Autosteer is activated.
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Warning
Adaptive Headlights is a convenience feature only and is subject to limitations. It is the driver's responsibility to make sure that headlights are always appropriately adjusted for weather conditions and driving circumstances.

Headlights After Exit

When Headlights after Exit is on, the exterior headlights remain on when you stop driving and park Model 3 in low lighting conditions. They automatically turn off after one minute or when Model 3 locks. When off, headlights turn off when you engage Park and open a door.

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Note
If you lock Model 3 using the Tesla mobile app or key card, the headlights immediately turn off. However, if the vehicle locks because Walk-Away Door Lock is enabled (see Walk-Away Door Lock), the headlights automatically turn off after one minute.

To turn this feature on or off, touch Controls > Lights > Headlights after Exit.

Headlight Adjustments

To adjust the angle of the headlights, touch Controls > Service > Adjust Headlights, then follow the onscreen instructions. You can choose which headlight you would like to adjust by selecting it on the touchscreen.

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Note
Headlights do not require adjustments when temporarily driving into a region where the traffic direction is different (for example, driving in right-hand traffic region, and then driving into a region with left-hand traffic).
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Warning
Proceed with caution when adjusting headlights. Tesla has carefully calibrated the position of the headlights to be in an optimum position for most driving scenarios. Tesla recommends that you do not adjust headlights unless you are familiar with how headlights should be adjusted. Once adjusted, you will be unable to automatically restore them to their originally calibrated position. Contact Tesla for assistance when adjusting headlights.

Turn Signals

The turn signals flash three times or continuously, depending on how far up or down you move the stalk. Lightly push the turn signal stalk up or down for a three-flash sequence. For a continuous signal, push the stalk fully up or down.

Gear stalk with arrow, line, arrow, line on top and bottom

The turn signals stop operating when canceled by the steering wheel, by moving the stalk in the opposite direction, or lightly pushing the stalk in the same direction once more.

If Controls > Lights > Automatic Turn Signals is set to Auto Cancel, turn signals cancel automatically when Model 3 detects completion of a maneuver such as a merge, lane change, or a fork in the roadway. If Automatic Turn Signals is set to Off, you must cancel the turn signal manually by using the turn stalk.

Green arrow pointing left
The corresponding turn signal indicator lights up on the touchscreen when a turn signal is operating. Model 3 also emits a clicking sound.
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Warning
When actively using Traffic-Aware Cruise Control, engaging a turn signal can cause Model 3 to accelerate in specific situations (see Overtake Acceleration).
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Warning
When actively using Autosteer, engaging a turn signal can cause Model 3 to change lanes (see Autosteer).

Hazard Warning Flashers

To turn on the hazard warning flashers, press the button located above the rear view mirror. All turn signals flash. Press the button again to turn off the hazard warning flashers.

Black button with white triangle above the rear view mirror

Condensation in Head or Tail Lights

Due to weather changes, humidity levels, or recent exposure to water (such as a car wash), condensation may occasionally accumulate in your vehicle’s head or tail lights. This is normal— as the weather gets warmer and humidity decreases, condensation often disappears on its own. If you notice water buildup within the exterior lenses, or if the condensation affects the visibility of the exterior lights, contact Tesla Service.