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Plan a road trip in your Tesla

Published Oct 22, 2026 · Updated Oct 22, 2026 · 4 min read · By VoltCoach

Use navigation to add charging stops, and what to check before you leave.

On a long trip, your car's navigation does most of the planning for you.

Let navigation plan the stops

Enter your destination on the touchscreen. Navigation finds the fastest route and adds convenient charging stops. Tap the lightning bolt to find the nearest Supercharger. Tap a red pin to see open stalls, status updates and the maximum charging speed. When a charger is your destination or a stop on the route, the car starts preconditioning (warming) the battery for faster charging on the way, so use navigation to reach a charger rather than just driving there. To remove a Supercharger stop, choose Remove Charging Stops at the bottom of the directions. Destination charging sites at hotels and restaurants show as gray pins.

Traffic

Traffic-based routing updates arrival times and can reroute you. You can turn it on or off under Online Routing in the map settings.

Before you leave

  • Check your tire pressure. The right numbers are on the Tire and Loading Information label on the center door pillar.
  • Look over your tires for bulges, cuts, foreign objects or wear. You can schedule service in the Tesla app.
  • Set regenerative braking to Standard, where available, to conserve range.

While you are away

  • Leave the car plugged in when you can. It maintains its battery and will not overcharge.
  • Park in the shade and run the A/C while charging to keep the cabin cool and preserve range. You can monitor charge and temperature in the app.
  • Navigation may recommend a charge level for the next stop, so you do not need to charge to 100% each time.

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