Frequently asked questions

What is iCar, exactly?

iCar is a home screen for the web browser built into your Tesla. Instead of a blank page you get a grid of shortcuts, the weather, a map, your trips and your car's data.

The grid is managed from your phone and updates in the car within seconds, with nothing to retype on the touchscreen.

What address do I type in the car?

iCar is not an app to install: it is a website. On your Tesla's screen, open the browser, then enter this address.

Once the page opens, add it to your Tesla bookmarks: one tap reopens it on every drive. Nothing to install, nothing to update, and nothing a vehicle update can remove.

The screen will then show a short code to enter from your phone, to link it to your account.

geticar.com/app

How do I link my car's screen to my account?

The car shows a short code and a QR code. You scan it with your phone, or retype the code in the management area, and the screen is attached to your account. It takes about ten seconds and is not repeated.

One account can pair several screens: two Teslas, a phone, a computer.

Which Teslas are supported?

The bookmark grid, weather, map and trips work on any Tesla with the web browser, which covers most Model 3, Y, S and X.

Features that read vehicle data also need reasonably recent firmware. Cars too old to report it keep everything else, and the screen simply does not offer what they cannot do.

Is there a phone app?

The management area installs to your phone's home screen like an app, straight from the browser. An iOS app is also in preparation.

What is free?

The bookmark grid, weather, map, clock, mini-apps, landmarks and the trip log. With no time limit and no advertising.

The subscription unlocks the features that rely on the Tesla account connection: battery, range and odometer, charging log, charge limit by place, Superchargers you can actually reach, speed cameras, and trips recorded by the car itself.

How much does the subscription cost?

Two plans, monthly or yearly, the yearly one working out at roughly ten months. Exact amounts are shown on the home page, in your currency and with the tax note that applies where you are.

Can I cancel whenever I want?

Yes, online, in two clicks, without writing to anyone. The period already paid for runs to its end and nothing renews after that.

A subscription bought inside the iOS app is cancelled in iOS settings, like every App Store subscription.

How many cars can I connect?

Every car on your Tesla account shows up in the management area. The subscription covers data reporting for two vehicles at a time, which is enough for the vast majority of households.

Beyond that you choose which ones report, and nothing is ever cut off without you asking.

Does iCar work outside France?

Yes. The interface exists in four languages, units and currency follow your country, and the starting grid adapts to it.

Some reference data is richer in France than elsewhere, notably charging stations and landmarks. The car-related features work anywhere Tesla operates.

Do I have to connect my Tesla account?

No. Without a linked Tesla account, iCar works as a home screen and a trip log, which is already most of the daily use.

Linking it unlocks vehicle data. The connection goes through Tesla's own page: we never see your password.

What is the virtual key, and why does it ask for one?

Authorising iCar in your Tesla account says "this account accepts this app". The virtual key says "this particular car recognises this app", and it is what allows a command to be sent, such as setting a charge limit.

You add it from the Tesla app on your phone, car by car. A driver with two Teslas adds it twice.

Can iCar unlock or drive my car?

No. iCar sends a car exactly two things: a destination to its navigation, and a charge limit, both at your request.

The permission Tesla offers is unfortunately broad and also covers doors and boot, for want of a finer grant on their side. We do not use it, and you can withdraw it at any time from your Tesla account.

Why is my car screen not updating?

It updates on its own within seconds, with nothing to reload. If it sits still, it is almost always that the car has lost its connection: the screen picks up again by itself when it returns.

Do you know my address?

No, and that is a design decision. For the charge limit by place, the car only tells us "I am at home" or "I am at work", as two yes-or-no values. It does not tell us where that is, and we do not ask.

Likewise, a charge is tied to a charger's identifier, never to the coordinates where you plugged in.

Do you record where I go?

Only if you turn on trip recording, which has its own switch in account settings. Turned off, no position is kept.

That is the only place in iCar where a position is written. Everything else, weather, map, landmarks, serves your request of the moment and is not retained.

What happens if I delete my account?

Your trips, bookmarks, paired screens and the link to your Tesla account are deleted with it. Write to us from the contact page and we will take care of it.