Long-term parking

Prepare charging before parking

If the car will be parked at home for an extended time, Tesla recommends leaving it plugged in. This helps maintain charge and lets external power cover some energy used by parked systems. Before leaving, set the limit recommended on the vehicle screen or in the app. There is no single percentage that fits every version and battery for every parking period.

Reduce use while away

Turn off parked features you do not need in that location, such as Sentry Mode, scheduled climate or preconditioning. Summon and remote app requests can also use energy. Review charging and climate schedules so the car does not perform unnecessary tasks. If it must remain unplugged, check alerts and available charge occasionally without sending frequent status requests without a reason. The manual shows scheduled charging and a location-specific limit separately from the default limit; check both after changing parking locations.

If you cannot plug in

Leave a sensible reserve for temperature, possible delays and the trip to a charger after you return. The manual advises against letting the battery get too low: its icon turns yellow at 20% or below. That is a warning, not a universal storage target. Plan the parking location and recharge so the vehicle is not left nearly discharged for a long period.

When you return

Check the current charge, vehicle messages and charging settings first. If you set a limit for a particular location, verify it before your next trip. After cold parking, some energy may temporarily appear unavailable until the battery warms; that alone does not confirm lost capacity. Contact Tesla Service if there are unusual alerts or the charge level keeps falling unusually quickly. If left plugged in for several days, the car may first use a small amount of battery energy and then charge again; the manual describes a slight difference below the set limit as normal.

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