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Tesla Premium Connectivity vs Standard: what you get, what it costs in the US, UK and Europe, and is it worth it4 min

Tesla Premium Connectivity vs Standard: what you get, what it costs in the US, UK and Europe, and is it worth it

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Standard Connectivity is free for eight years; Premium costs $9.99, £9.99 or €9.99 a month. What each tier includes, how trials and lifetime Premium work, and when paying makes sense.

Every Tesla comes with some form of internet connection, but what you actually get depends on when the car was ordered, how you bought it and whether you pay for Premium Connectivity. Here is a plain guide to Standard and Premium Connectivity in the US, the UK and Europe: what each includes, what it costs, and when it is worth paying for.

Standard Connectivity: the free tier

Standard Connectivity is included with every Tesla for eight years, counted from the first delivery as a new car or its first day in service, whichever comes first. It covers:

  • Most connected features over Wi-Fi.
  • Basic maps and navigation. On Tesla's Dutch support page, that includes traffic-based routing and Supercharger availability.
  • Music over Bluetooth, plus FM radio and USB playback where the car supports them.
  • In North America, SiriusXM in cars that have the hardware.

Some older cars have Standard for life. In the US, that applies to cars ordered on or before July 20, 2022, and to cars transferred privately on or before that date. Certified Pre-Owned cars bought after July 20, 2022 only get the rest of the eight-year period.

Premium Connectivity: what you pay for

Premium Connectivity gives you all connected features over the mobile network, not just over Wi-Fi. In practice, that adds:

  • Satellite-view maps.
  • Live traffic shown on the map.
  • Streaming music and media over the mobile network, using your own subscriptions to third-party services.
  • Other connected features, such as video streaming and the web browser, without depending on Wi-Fi or a phone hotspot.

Tesla does not run its own network; it uses local carriers. If Premium features are not working, Tesla's advice is to check that the car is not connected to Wi-Fi at the same time.

What it costs

  • US: $9.99 a month or $99 a year, plus tax. You can switch between monthly and annual billing.
  • UK: £9.99 a month.
  • Netherlands: €9.99 a month. Tesla's Dutch and UK pages list only a monthly subscription.

You can subscribe from the car's touchscreen or the Tesla app, and cancel at any time. There are no partial refunds: Premium simply keeps working until the end of the period you have paid for.

Trials and free Premium

  • New cars: new Model 3, Model Y, Model S, Model X and Cybertruck orders come with a Premium trial from delivery. The length depends on model, trim, model year and order date, and is shown in the price details when you order. In the Netherlands, fast-delivery Model S and Model X orders get Premium at delivery.
  • Used cars bought privately: in the US, cars transferred on or after January 21, 2020 without an active trial or lifetime Premium get a 30-day trial once you add the car to your Tesla app. It starts straight away and cannot be postponed.
  • Lifetime Premium: some older cars have it, depending on model and order date. In the US, cars transferred on or before January 20, 2020 also qualify. Check the Tesla app under Upgrades, then Manage.

Things people often miss

  • No music account: cars delivered on or after October 1, 2024 no longer include a streaming music account such as Spotify Premium, and most older cars lost it from December 1, 2024. You need your own subscription either way.
  • Not transferable: Premium belongs to the car, not to you. It cannot be moved to another Tesla, and it is cancelled automatically when you sell the car privately and remove it from your account.
  • After the free period: once Standard ends on a car that is not covered for life, maps, navigation and voice commands may change or stop working.

Is Premium worth it?

For many owners, it depends on how often the car is away from Wi-Fi. Premium is worth having if you rely on live traffic on the map, stream music without using your phone's Bluetooth, or want video and the browser while parked or charging.

If you mainly drive short trips, play music from your phone and park within reach of home Wi-Fi, Standard is often enough. A sensible approach is to use the trial that comes with the car, see which features you actually miss when it ends, and decide then. At $99 a year in the US, the annual plan is the cheaper option if you keep it.

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