Tesla does indeed listen to it’s customers. After many requests, they implemented Valet Mode and it seemed to be such a random feature. Now we see that it can be rather useful for many occasions. This leads people wondering; does Tesla’s Valet Mode stop the car from charging? Sometimes, when Valet Mode is activated, the car will also stop charging.
This is an important consideration for Tesla owners, especially when they are leaving their vehicle with a valet. Tesla offers a range of unique features and settings, and it’s essential for customers to understand how each one works. For example, some customers have reported confusion over the Tesla charging noise, and how it may be impacted when Valet Mode is engaged. Clarifying these details can help owners make the best use of their vehicles.
You can charge your Tesla without any limitations while in Valet Mode. While your Tesla is in Valet Mode, a certain driver profile with limited features will be active. Tesla says that they intend to protect your privacy and that Valet Mode enhances your personal security.
As with all the articles that I write, I try to give a little extra. So read on to find out exactly what Valet Mode does and why you can actually charge while using the mode. I also set out various ways of turning on Valet Mode and of course the pros and cons of Valet Mode in general. Let me know what you think! Has it actually helped you in various ways?
The Tesla Valet Mode – What It Does
If you have no idea what the Tesla Valet Mode is, you are not alone. Because of Tesla’s knack for technical ingenuity, Teslas have so many innovative factors that it can be challenging to keep track of them all, even for the most avid electric car enthusiast.
The Tesla Valet Mode is simply a driver profile in your car. This profile will limit access to your vehicle’s core functions. It is essentially a security feature to protect your vehicle against tampering and safeguard your personal information when you hand your car over to someone else.
The limitations in valet mode affect the following areas:
- No access to the trunk and glove box.
- Low max power and max acceleration to only 70 mph (112.65 kph).
- No access to saved home and work locations in the navigation window.
- Restrictions on voice commands.
- All driver profiles are hidden.
- No access to car Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
- No access to autopilot features.
However, you can still drive the vehicle – you just won’t be able to see personal details, access private areas in the vehicle, or change any settings in your personal driver profile.
The Valet Mode restricts a Tesla’s acceleration to only 25%. This safeguard prevents the valet or any other third party from engaging the car’s autopilot mode. This feature increases the odds that the authorities can easily catch up with your Tesla if your valet or teenage children decide to take your vehicle for a test drive.
Why You Can Charge in Valet Mode
The Tesla Valet Mode does not affect your vehicle’s charging ability. The valet mode limits the ability of your valet to take your car for your joyride, potentially damaging it or accessing your personal information.
Therefore, it is primarily a privacy and performance safeguard when relinquishing control over your vehicle. However, you can still maintain your vehicle and access features like charging while Valet Mode is on.
It’s always a relief to know that the Tesla engineers appreciate how expensive these electric cars are and how much we hate other people using our vehicles. It is even better to know that this does not come at a cost to critical systems such as charging.
You can thus take comfort in knowing that should you visit a valet site with a charger on-site, you can have the valet charge your car while parked without worrying that they will access your info.
You also don’t have to worry about the valet succumbing to their youthful exuberance and taking your $100,000 car for a spin, with a possible chance of expensive repairs.
How To Turn Valet Mode On
Turning on valet mode is super easy, and it’s barely an inconvenience. There are two main approaches to turning on valet mode:
- From inside your car
- Via the mobile app
From Inside Your Car
To turn valet mode from inside your Tesla, follow these simple steps:
- Put your vehicle in park.
- Select your profile name from your Tesla display screen.
- Select valet mode from the drop-down menu that appears.
- Enter your four-digit pin (on the first trial) to activate valet mode.
- Voila!
You can also set the steering wheel position or mirror position on the Valet Mode profile, thanks to the onscreen instructions available on the control screen. So, it’s ideal for handing off your vehicle to anyone!
When the valet mode is active, the word valet will appear on your touchscreen. Your Tesla will also display the valet mode driver profile on the touchscreen.
Here is a quick look at how to turn the valet mode on in Tesla Model X:
As you can see, you do not need to be a tech whiz or have advanced skills to put the Valet Mode into gear.
Via the Mobile App
Thanks to the power of mobile computing and the massive collective cognitive power in Silicon Valley, you can also easily engage or cancel Valet Mode from the comfort of your smartphone. Because you will have to input your credentials when launching the app, you do not need to input a four-digit pin when using this option.
You also do not need to be inside your car to use this option. However, your Tesla must be in park gear for you to activate Valet Mode, so be sure that your vehicle is stationary before attempting to enable the feature.
Anyway, on a somewhat related note, I wrote an article about The Tesla App Start Button. This is sort of similar to this subheading; I thought it would be a good idea to share it with you. Check out!
Did You Know
This ‘did you know’ section takes us back to July 2000 and involves a valet (who was interestingly unnamed) working at La Cantera Resort in San Antonio, Texas. The valet made the national headlines when he forged a brilliant plan to take one of the guest’s Tesla Model S for a quick spin.
This brilliant unnamed valet drove the Tesla right into a concrete wall, probably keen to test the ludicrous mode. If this wasn’t embarrassing enough, the incident was caught on the vehicle’s dashcam. If you are still on the fence about this Valet Mode stuff, take a second and imagine if this was your car.
As an added bonus to this article, I’ve created this easy-to-use charging calculator. Simply input your model, charging wattage, and charging percentage, and you will get the estimated time it will take to charge a Tesla in terms of hours. You can play around with numbers a bit just to see how charging time changes:
Pros and Cons of Tesla Valet Mode
The table below summarizes the pros and cons of the Tesla valet mode.
| Pros | Cons |
| Gives you peace of mind when handing your car over to someone else. | Valets tend to have difficulty determining how to get the car started in this mode. |
| It is easy to enable and disable as long as you remember your key. | |
| It’s an ideal option for a parent with teenage children who want to ensure a relatively safe driving experience. | |
| It protects personal data. |
As shown in the table above, the pros of the Tesla Valet Mode far outweigh the cons.
While there is a degree of inconvenience to actual valets who can sometimes have a hard time starting the vehicle, as Valet Mode becomes mainstream, they will have to adapt to this new reality.
Fun Fact
Besides securing your car when you hand it to an untrustworthy third person, the Tesla Valet mode is also widely popular among parents teaching their kids to drive.
The features and speed restrictions help create a safe driving environment. This feature also comes in handy when you need to give your garage mechanic temporary access to your car.
Check out these 20 great gift ideas for yourself or a Tesla fanboy.
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Ready for more insights on Tesla charging? Explore our Ultimate Tesla Charging Guide for expert tips, in-depth comparisons, and proven strategies to streamline every aspect of powering up your EV.
