AndrewWhat is Tesla Premium Connectivity?
Simply put, it adds features to the LTE and WIFI connection of the car. Every new Tesla comes with a standard connection and the ability to connect to wifi.
Standard Connectivity Gives You:
- Basic Navigation
- Tesla OTA Updates
- Video Streaming (Wifi Only)
- Caraoke (Wifi Only)
- Music Streaming – Spotify, Tidal, Stream, etc (WiFi Only)
- Web Browsing (Wifi Only)
Premium Connectivity Gives You (Over LTE):
- Tesla OTA Updates
- Enhanced Navigation + Real Time Traffic
- Video Streaming
- Caraoke
- Music Streaming – Spotify, Tidal, Stream, etc
- Web Browsing
So at the end of the day it allows you to do all things “connected” with the car via LTE and not just WiFi. I think it’s important to note that for the music streaming and video streaming you need subscriptions with the various platforms such as Spotify or Disney+ to use them. The Premium Connectivity allows you to stream and use them, it doesn’t give you access or an account with them.
What I like about Tesla Premium Connectivity
I like a lot about this product but the number one feature that just made it so worth it was the ability to watch TV in the car. Peak pandemic the family would go snag food from our favorite spots and sit in the parking lot watching movies and eating. It turned into a fun experience that my daughter to this day still wants to do. “Can we go get food and park and watch?”
Beyond that it is just nice, I use the music streaming often. I’m an Apple Music subscriber so that goes through bluetooth (no native app on Tesla), but I use Tesla’s streaming app for their music a lot, it’s become my new FM radio.
The enhanced nav is great and we’ve found a few times that web browsing has come in handy. The LTE connection on the vehicle is rather strong and at times when my Verizon drops on the phone I can get what I need through the car.
What I don’t like about Tesla Premium Connectivity
I don’t like that it’s yet another subscription service in my life, but that’s the world we live in. I understand that no matter how much the car costs this sort of feature would cost Tesla tons over time. Frankly it’s not all that much different from something like OnStar or any other manufacturers connection plans. That said, I think I get a lot more out of this. Part of me had hoped that they would release a car that would allow this connection to be a hotspot but at the same time, do I need it given what Teslas can handle on their own system?
I haven’t hit any issues in use or coverage yet, that’s been pretty solid.
So yeah, biggest issue with it is the fact I want it and need to pay for it. I wish It would have come included in the purchase price…oh well.
Cost
This has recently changed and frankly for the better. First off, if you are buying used (Pre Mid-2018) Tesla’s you should get most of these features for free as long as your car supports them. For everyone else buying new or used you have two payment options, monthly and yearly.
Monthly comes in at $10 a month (well $9.99) the benefit here is you can take it month to month and if you don’t use it, you drop it.
Yearly comes in at $99, so you save about $20 over doing a year at the monthly cost. This is a new option for folks and the one I ended up using.
Around cost, it’s worth noting that all new orders of Model S, X, Y, 3 will come with a free trial of Premium Connectivity that I believe is 30 days from delivery.
My Final Thoughts
If you are thinking of getting an EV and specifically a Tesla keep this in mind. It’s one of those things that you might not think about when ordering a Tesla.
My closing thoughts are, if you are purchasing a new Tesla, plan on getting Premium Connectivity. If you already have a Tesla and haven’t tried the feature, spend the $10 and see if it’s for you, that’s the nice thing about their being a monthly option.
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