News
Revealing the Most Popular Tesla Model S Configurations
New Tesla buyers are known to solicit feedback from members of the forum community on whether their proposed configuration is the right choice. I find this rather amusing considering there’s really no right choice and it’s purely subjective. What would be more valuable, and more interesting to say the least, is to see what configuration Tesla Model S owners are likely to walk away with.
Luckily some folks from the TeslaMotorsClub have already compiled a google doc that may give us an idea of what Model S options people are actually ordering. Let it be known that the results are based on a very small sample size that represents only a small fraction of the actual sales figures.
Tesla Model S Delivery by Country
It’s no surprise that 93% of orders are being delivered to owners within the US with the rest coming from Canada and Europe.
Within the US, California leads the pack at 37% while North Carolina comes ranks in second place followed by Massachusetts, Maryland, and Georgia.
Model S Battery Choice
93% of Model S buyers are ordering the largest battery offering (85 kWh) while only 32% of people with the 85 kWh battery choose the Performance (P85) model. There's a further upgrade on top of the performance model known as the Performance Plus or "P+" which brings larger tires and an upgraded suspension. Of those choosing the P85 only 33% chose to upgrade to the P85+ plus model. So the next time you see a Tesla P85+ on the road, know that you're staring at a rare model which may represent only 10% of total sales.
Most Popular Color
Black leads the pack at 23% of Model S owners choosing that as their color of choice with blue and grey a tie for second at 18%.
76% of buyers are upgrading to leather. The choice of color in the leather is pretty evenly split between all 3 color offerings. "Piano Black" stands out as the most popular interior trim with 51% of buyers selecting that offering. The remaining trim options are split evenly.
Only a mere 2% of buyers select Tesla's paint armor option.
Another interesting data point is that 39% of P85 customers select the red brake calliper option despite it being a free upgrade with the P85. The spoiler ranks higher in popularity with 52% of P85 customers selecting it.
Roof Selection
The Tesla panoramic roof is one of the coolest selling points of the car and as expected 69% of buyers choose it when configuring their Model S. If you don't select the panoramic roof you have the option to choose a roof that's painted in the color of the body or in black. 28% of buyers chose the body colored roof.
Technology Package
Likely to no ones surprise 85% of buyers chose the technology package which includes turn by turn routing, powered lift gate and many other fantastic features right on the 17" touchscreen. Without the Tech Package, some features of the vehicle are inaccessible. 80% of the people that picked the technology package opted for parking sensors but only 37% of them choose fog lights.
The Subzero weather package is not too popular at 26% but may grow over time as Tesla gains sales strength in colder regions such as the Northeast US and in Europe. I was surprised that 41% of buyers are choosing the premium sound option as it is a very pricy option that also requires a subscription for XM use.
Also see: The Sound in the Tesla Model S
45% of people who opted for the technology package also choose to add the smart air suspension
I thought was crazy when I added the premium interior lighting package for an extra $1,000, but 81% of buyers are doing the same thing. That makes me feel a lot better about my decision!
Model S owners also seemed to really like the parcel shelf with 81% of buyers choosing it.
Single vs Dual Charger
Only 37% of buyers are choosing dual chargers which I personally believe is a necessity. Hopefully with better education buyers will opt for the dual charger option and save themselves from incurring a costly post-upgrade charge.
Also see: Every New Tesla Owner’s Dilemma: Dual Chargers vs High Power Wall Connector (HPWC)
Tesla Model S by the Numbers
Summarizing the most popular options you'd end up buying a black non-performance 85 kWh Tesla with panoramic sunroof and Piano Black decor, tech package, parking sensors and the parcel shelf. This configuration goes for approximately $83,070 after Federal and state incentives.
Ultimately the options you pick for your Tesla Model S is your choice and owners will tell you that you can't buy a bad Tesla.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s AI Grok Bot can now handle banking while your Tesla FSD handles the road
Elon Musk says Grok Bot can manage your finances through linked bank and investment accounts.
Grok Bot now wants access to your wallet, with SpaceXAI rolling out a new Finance integration for its agent platform that lets users link bank, credit card and investment accounts thereby letting their Bots help manage spending, investments and more. Elon Musk amplified the announcement on X with a short endorsement, “Grok Bot can manage your finances.”
The feature builds on two earlier steps. In early September, Grok gained the ability to answer questions about spending, savings, investments and cash flow using accounts connected through Plaid, starting with users in the U.S. Before that, on August 28, SpaceXAI let Grok Bot buy things online through Link, with users approving every spend request and the Bot receiving a single use card for each payment.
Musk has already shown how far he wants users to push it. In late August, when Tesla investor account Teslaconomics said he was weighing whether to give Grok Bot access to his bank accounts, Musk replied, “Try it out. If Grok Bot messes up, we will make you whole.” That promise goes beyond SpaceXAI’s consumer terms, which make users responsible for what their agents do and generally cap the company’s liability at the greater of fees paid or $100. SpaceXAI’s own documentation recommends requiring approval for purchases and financial transfers.
For Tesla owners, the update lands five days after Tesla brought Grok Bot into its vehicles, letting drivers hand off errands by voice while FSD (Supervised) handles the road. Bot access inside the car is currently limited to SuperGrok Heavy subscribers, though Connectors are open to anyone signed into Grok. With Finance linked, a driver could ask for a spending summary or a check on upcoming bills during the commute.
Grok’s role in the car has grown quickly since Tesla’s Summer Update let it control cabin features by voice. We have been using Grok Bot in our own Tesla for several weeks, and here’s how our latest test went.
Elon Musk
SpaceX just got the green light Starship has waited years for
The FAA has cleared Starship Flight 14, setting up SpaceX’s first orbital attempt on Monday.
SpaceX has cleared the last regulatory hurdle standing between Starship and its first trip to orbit. The Federal Aviation Administration issued the launch license for Starship Flight 14 late Saturday, keeping the mission on track for liftoff Monday, September 28, from Pad 2 at Starbase, Texas.
The 75 minute launch window opens at 7:15 a.m. Central, and Boca Chica Beach closures are also scheduled for September 29 and 30 as backup dates. This will be Starship’s first revenue generating mission.
The license was the missing piece after SpaceX completed a full wet dress rehearsal with Booster 21 and Ship 41 on September 24. At the time, the company said the flight remained on track pending regulatory approval. Because Flight 14 flies an orbital profile, the FAA had to sign off on a modified license that met its safety, payload and financial responsibility requirements.
Observers combing through the new FAA paperwork also noticed that lightning no longer appears among Starship’s listed launch hazards. If that holds, it matters more for where Starship is headed than for Monday’s attempt. Florida and Louisiana, home to LC-39A and the planned Starbase Louisiana site, see some of the most frequent lightning in the United States.
SpaceX tells the FCC that Starship Flight 14 is going to orbit
Flight 14 is the mission SpaceX has been building toward for months. Ship 41 will carry 26 Starlink V3 satellites, the first operational V3 units to be deployed, and attempt roughly six orbits at about 275 kilometers over a flight lasting just under 10 hours. SpaceX says the ship will only perform its orbital insertion burn after flight controllers confirm enough hardware redundancy remains for the deorbit burn at the end of the mission. Ship 41 is targeting a splashdown in the Pacific west of Chile, while Super Heavy will return to the Gulf of Mexico.
The date carries some symbolism as well. A Monday launch would come 10 years and one day after Elon Musk first presented the Interplanetary Transport System, the design that became Starship, at the International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico.
SpaceX has not announced what comes next, but air traffic planning slides reported this week, list Flight 15 no earlier than October 19 and a first Starship launch from LC-39A in Florida no earlier than October 30. Both dates depend on how Monday goes.
News
SpaceX completes another secret Pentagon launch, adding to suspected Starshield buildout
SpaceX launched the classified USSF-385 mission from Vandenberg, landing its booster on a tenth flight.
SpaceX launched another classified mission for the U.S. Space Force from California early Saturday morning, and the Falcon 9 booster that carried it landed on a drone ship in the Pacific for the tenth time. The USSF-385 mission lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 7:00 a.m. PT.
Booster B1100 touched down on Of Course I Still Love You roughly eight and a half minutes after liftoff. It was the booster’s tenth flight and tenth successful landing, following the NROL-95 national security mission and eight Starlink launches. Its previous flight, a Starlink Group 15 mission on August 22, came just 35 days earlier. SpaceX ended its livestream shortly after the landing, which is standard for classified payloads, and neither the company nor the Space Force has said what the rocket carried.
Watch Falcon 9 launch the USSF-385 mission from pad 4E in California https://t.co/CAdbx85Ydy
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 26, 2026
USSF-385 is the fourth Space Force launch from the same Vandenberg pad in roughly six weeks, following USSF-366 on August 15, USSF-153 on September 10, and USSF-259 on September 17. When SpaceX flew USSF-366 in August, independent trackers noted that the rocket’s stage drop zones matched SpaceX’s Starlink Group 15 missions, pointing to Starshield, the government version of the Starlink satellite bus. The Space Force later cataloged 23 satellites after both USSF-366 and USSF-153, while USSF-259 placed 17 satellites into a different orbital plane, per KeepTrack. Launch databases describe USSF-385 the same way, though the payload remains officially unidentified.
The cadence lines up with the contracts, because in July, the Space Force awarded SpaceX $1.6 billion in task orders for 18 Falcon 9 missions from Vandenberg through the end of 2027. SpaceX also holds contracts to build pieces of that same network, which pushed its Pentagon contract total for 2026 past $8 billion.
Saturday’s flight was also the sixth and final Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg in September, according to Spaceflight Now, while only one Falcon 9 flew from the East Coast this month as SpaceX shifts its Florida infrastructure toward Starship. Launch trackers list it as SpaceX’s 112th mission of 2026 and the 108th Falcon 9 flight of the year, with SLC-4E turned around about six and a half days after its previous launch.
The West Coast pad will not stay quiet for long, considering SpaceX has another Starlink mission scheduled from SLC-4E on September 30. Meanwhile, in Texas, the company is two days away from Starship Flight 14, which is targeting Monday at 7:15 a.m. CT for the vehicle’s first attempt to reach orbit.


