Tesla Model 3 Now Available With A Key CarBuzz News Features New Cars Used Cars Sell My Car Shopping Tools Car Reviews Car Finder Compare Cars Best Cars Car Dealerships Used Car Reviews Car Advice Home News Tesla Model 3 Now Available With A Key

Tesla Model 3 Now Available With A Key

Nov. 20, 2018 4:40 PM ET by Jared Rosenholtz / 9 Comments The keycard is proving tricky to use, so you can now buy a key fob. When Tesla first rolled out the Model 3, it made an interesting decision to ship the car without a key. Much like the rest of the auto industry, Tesla was quick to assume drivers would prefer to get rid of their cumbersome and expensive key fob and just use their smartphone instead. Tesla did include a basic hotel-style key card just in case you lost your phone or if the battery died, but now admits this decision may have been a mistake. ven CEO Elon Musk was quoted saying "We really need to provide a normal key to the customers of the car." Now, a key fob for the Model 3 has been made available via Tesla's website. Unfortunately, there are a few catches. Tesla Tesla The key fob is currently for sale for a rather affordable $150, which is inexpensive compared to many replacement key fobs from other automakers. Don't rush to Tesla's website to go buy one though because the key is already sold out and the current shipping estimate is three to four weeks from date of the order, meaning you won't have it for the holidays. Like other Tesla keys, the Model 3 key is a miniature version of the car, with the Tesla logo inscribed on the hood. Tesla will even package the key in a lovely gift box with the Tesla and Model 3 logos. To use the key, just press once to lock the car, twice to unlock it, twice on the front or rear trunk to open, or a long press on the rear trunk to open the charge port. Tesla Tesla Tesla Aside from being sold out, the Model 3 key fob does have another disadvantage. Tesla says the fob will not support passive entry. This means the car will not open when you walk up to the car and put your hand on the door. Instead, owners will have to take the key out and press the button to unlock the car, then take it out again when locking the car. This is incredibly basic and a bit of a disappointment when compared to Tesla's other innovations. Perhaps given enough time, Tesla will eventually find a way to add passive entry to the new key fob. Tesla

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Tesla Model 3 Jared Rosenholtz Editor-at-Large After graduating with an MBA, Jared pursued his love of cars by becoming an automotive journalist. An internship with CarBuzz grew into his current position as Editor At Large. Jared now spends most of his time evaluating new vehicles and chasing the latest news stories in the automotive industry. When he’s not attending Cars & Coffee events on the weekend, Jared loves to watch NFL football and cruise around with the top down in his German convertible. Contact Jared @Carsnbites @jar_rosenholtz LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top