You just bought a Tesla. You’re sitting in the driveway, the regenerative braking has finally stopped making you feel seasick, and you’re ready to go inside. But there is one glaring, weirdly stressful problem. There isn't a power button. You look at the steering column. Nothing. You look at the dashboard. It’s just a giant iPad. Honestly, the first time I sat in a Model 3, I felt like a total idiot trying to figure out how to turn off a tesla without just running away and hoping the battery didn't die overnight.
It’s a valid concern. We’ve been conditioned for a century to turn a key or mash a "Start/Stop" button. Tesla, in its infinite quest to disrupt everything including our muscle memory, decided that buttons are a relic of the past.
The "Walking Away" Method (The Way You’re Actually Supposed to Do It)
Most of the time, you don't actually "turn off" a Tesla. Not in the way you turn off a vacuum or a TV. It’s more like a smartphone. When you stop using your iPhone, you don't shut it down; you just put it in your pocket.
Teslas work on a hierarchy of sleep states. When you arrive at your destination, you put the car in Park by pressing the button on the end of the gear selector stalk. Then, you just get out. Seriously. As you walk away with your phone key or key fob, the car senses the distance increasing. It clips the locks, folds the mirrors (if you have that setting on), and dims the touchscreen.
Inside the guts of the car, the high-voltage contactors remain engaged for a bit, but the cabin electronics go into a low-power mode. It’s elegant. It’s seamless. It’s also deeply unsettling for people who grew up driving a 1998 Camry.
But what if you're sitting in the car? Maybe you're waiting for a spouse in a grocery store parking lot and you want the screen off to save a tiny bit of range. Or maybe you're just trying to be "off" while staying put. That’s where the software comes in.
Using the Touchscreen to Force a Shutdown
If you are sitting inside the cabin and want the car to shut down completely, you have to dig into the menus. It isn't hidden, but it isn't exactly front-and-center either.
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Navigate to the Controls menu (the little car icon). From there, tap on Safety. Scroll down—past the Sentry Mode toggles and the speed limiters—and you will see a button labeled Power Off.
When you hit that, the screen goes black. The car goes silent.
Don't touch anything.
If you tap the brake pedal, open a door, or poke the screen, the car wakes up instantly. It’s like a light sleeper. The "Power Off" function is mostly used for DIY repairs or if the car is acting "glitchy" and needs a soft reset. It isn't something you should be doing every time you go to work.
Why does it keep making noise?
You might notice that even after you "turn off" the car, it hums. Or whirrs. Sometimes it sounds like a small jet engine is idling under the hood.
This is usually the Thermal Management System. Tesla batteries are divas. They hate being too hot and they hate being too cold. If you’ve just finished a long highway drive or it’s 95 degrees in Phoenix, the car will run its fans and coolant pumps to protect the battery longevity. According to Tesla's official fleet data and various teardowns by experts like Sandy Munro, maintaining that battery temperature is the single most important factor for the car's long-term health. Let it hum. It knows what it's doing.
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The Deep Sleep and 12V Battery Realities
Understanding how to turn off a tesla also means understanding what happens when you leave it for a long time. This is where "Vampire Drain" comes into play.
If you leave your Tesla at an airport for two weeks, it won't be totally "off." It’s still "calling home" to check for software updates, and it’s likely running Sentry Mode. Sentry Mode is incredible for catching people who ding your door, but it is a massive power hog. It keeps the car’s computer—the "Media Control Unit" or MCU—awake so it can process video feeds from the cameras.
If you want the car to truly be as "off" as possible to save battery:
- Turn off Sentry Mode.
- Turn off Cabin Overheat Protection.
- Stop opening the Tesla app on your phone. Every time you open the app to check your range, you "wake" the car up. It’s like poking someone who is trying to nap.
When Things Go Wrong: The Hard Reset
Sometimes the car won't turn off because the software has hung. You’ll know this is happening if the screen is frozen or the Bluetooth won't connect.
In this case, you perform a "Scroll Wheel Reset." You hold down both scroll wheels on the steering wheel for about 10 seconds. The screen will go black, and eventually, the Tesla "T" logo will appear. This is the equivalent of rebooting your computer. It doesn't wipe your settings, but it clears the cache and restarts the operating system.
There is a more aggressive version of this where you hold the brake pedal while doing the scroll wheel reset, though Tesla technicians often debate if the brake pedal actually adds anything to the process on newer Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. Regardless, it’s a good "nuke it from orbit" option when the tech gets wonky.
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The "Camp Mode" and "Dog Mode" Exception
Sometimes you don't want the car to turn off. This is a feature, not a bug.
If you’re camping in the car, you use Camp Mode. This keeps the climate control running and the USB ports powered all night. If you’re running into a store and leaving your golden retriever in the car, you use Dog Mode. This keeps the AC at a set temperature and displays a massive message on the screen telling passersby that the dog is fine and the owner will be back soon.
In these modes, the car stays "on" even after you walk away. It will only shut down if the main battery hits 20%. Tesla designed this as a failsafe so you don't accidentally strand yourself in the wilderness because your dog wanted the AC at 68 degrees for six hours.
Safety First: The HV Disconnect
For the DIY crowd or emergency responders, there is a literal "off" switch, but it’s not for daily use. Under the hood (the frunk), there is a plastic maintenance panel. Beneath that, there is a high-voltage (HV) disconnect loop. Cutting or unplugging this loop physically disconnects the big lithium-ion battery from the rest of the car.
This is the only way to make the car "dead." If you are installing an aftermarket sound system or doing heavy mechanical work, this is the "off" you are looking for.
Actionable Steps for New Owners
If you're still feeling nervous about whether your car is actually off, here is the checklist you should follow.
- Check the App: After walking away, check your Tesla app. If it says "Locked," you're good.
- Listen for the Clunk: When you walk away, you’ll hear a distinctive metallic clunk. That’s the door locks engaging. It’s the universal sound for "I’m done for now."
- Manage Sentry Mode: If you’re parked in a safe garage, turn Sentry Mode off. You’ll save 5-10 miles of range per day.
- The Safety Tab: Use the "Power Off" button in the Safety menu only if you’re sitting in the car for a long time or trying to fix a minor electronic glitch.
Tesla has essentially turned the car into a mobile device. You don't "shut down" your laptop every time you close the lid, and you don't need to shut down your Tesla. Trust the sensors. They’ve been engineered to handle the standby logic better than a human can. Just walk away, let the mirrors fold, and go about your day. Your battery will be waiting for you when you get back.