New Tesla owner checklist: The first 10 things to set up
Delivery day is chaos. You're excited, the delivery person is rushing through a checklist, someone's taking photos of the car, & you're half-listening to an explanation of something you'll forget in 20 minutes.
Then you get home & realize you have no idea how half of it works.
This is the list we wish someone had given us on day one. Set these up in order- it takes about 20 minutes & you'll be miles ahead of where most new owners start.
1. Download the Tesla App & Pair It to Your Car
This sounds obvious, but do it before anything else.
The Tesla app is how you:
Start charging remotely
Pre-condition the cabin
Lock/unlock & check battery status
Summon the car (slowly - it's not like in the movies)
Get software update notifications
Download it, log in with your Tesla account, & make sure the car shows up. If it doesn't, you may need to be within Bluetooth range with the car on. Takes two minutes.
2. Set Up Your Key Card & Phone Key
Your Tesla comes with two physical key cards. Those are your backup.
Your primary key should be your phone - set this up through the app under Security → Set Up Phone Key.
Your phone unlocks the car automatically as you approach & locks it as you walk away. It's seamless once it works.
Do this: Put one key card in your wallet & one somewhere safe at home. Never leave the house with just your phone as your only key. Phones die. Phones get lost. The key card doesn't.
3. Create a Driver Profile
Go to the driver profile icon at the top of the screen: (it looks like a silhouette.)
Create a profile for yourself.
Your profile saves: seat position, mirror settings, steering wheel height, Autopilot preferences, display layout, & more. If you share the car with someone else, each person gets their own profile & the car adjusts automatically when it detects your phone.
Takes 3 minutes. Saves you adjusting the seat every single time.
4. Set Your Charge Limit
Tesla recommends daily charging to 80–90%. Not 100%.
Charging to 100% every day stresses the battery (some chemistry thing) & reduces long-term capacity. The car is designed to be charged to 80% for daily use, with 100% reserved for long trips when you actually need the range.
Go to the charging screen & set the charge limit slider to 80-90%. Leave it there. Only push it to 100% the night before a long drive.
5. Switch to Scheduled Departure (Not a Charge Timer)
While you're in the charging screen, ditch the charge timer & switch to Scheduled Departure.
Tap Schedule → Depart By & set your usual morning departure time. The car figures out when to start charging so it's done just before you leave, pre-conditions the cabin & battery for the weather, & has everything ready when you walk out.
Way smarter than a timer. Always-warm car in winter is reason enough.
6. Set Up Sentry Mode Exclusions
Go to Controls → Safety → Sentry Mode.
Turn it on, but also turn on:
Exclude Home
Exclude Work (unless your lot needs it...)
Without these, Sentry runs 24/7, including all night in your own garage. That drains your battery every single day. The exclusions let it protect you where you need it without the phantom drain where you don't.
7. Configure Regenerative Braking
Go to Controls → Driving → Regenerative Braking.
Two options: Standard & Low.
Standard is the full regen experience - lift off the accelerator & the car slows down aggressively, putting energy back into the battery. Most experienced EV drivers end up preferring this because you rarely need to use the brake pedal at all.
Low is more like a traditional car, coast more, regen less.
Honestly? Start with Standard. Give it two weeks. Most people never go back.
8. Turn On Trip Planner
If you take any long drives, the built-in trip planner is essential. Put in a destination further than your current range: the car automatically routes you through Superchargers & tells you exactly how long to stop at each one to make the next leg.
It pre-conditions the battery before Supercharger stops too, so you charge at full speed instead of waiting for the battery to warm up.
Go to Navigation, enter your destination, & let it do its thing.
Tesla's trip planner is genuinely good. Use it.
9. Explore the Safety & Autopilot Settings
Find Controls → Autopilot & read through what's in there.
Key things to understand:
Autosteer: Lane-keeping assist on highways. Works well once you're comfortable with it.
Auto Lane Change: Signals, waits for a gap, changes lanes. Turn it on.
Speed Limit Warning: Set it to alert you or auto-adjust speed. Up to you.
Forward Collision Warning: Set to Early! It gives you the most warning time.
You don't have to turn everything on right away. But know what exists so you can try things at your own pace.
10. Do a Full Inspection Before Your First Service Center Visit
This isn't a software setting, it's moreso a practical thing.
Check the car over carefully in the first 7 days of ownership:
Panel gaps? (doors, hood, trunk, frunk)
Paint quality? look for chips, bubbles, or uneven finish
Interior? Any trim pieces not seated properly
Glass for any chips or cracks?
Tesla's delivery quality has improved but isn't perfect. Anything you find in the first week should be documented with photos & reported through the Tesla app under Service → Schedule a Service. There's a dedicated delivery defect process.
Don't wait. The earlier you report it, the easier it is to get resolved.
Stay vigilant in the early days!
