Tesla Model S
Tesla Model S Parking Sensors, Rear View Camera and Folding Mirrors

At 196″ long and 77.3″ wide, the Tesla Model S is larger than some 7-seater SUVs so it comes as no surprise that maneuvering it into a parking space may require a bit of finesse. Luckily the vehicle is equipped with some technological advancements that just may provide some relief to the parking challenged.
Parking Sensors
The latest version of the Model S is eligible for a $500 parking sensor upgrade during the time of configuring your car. However older versions of the Model S will require a $5000 – $6000 retrofit.
The parking sensor package includes front and rear proximity sensors that warn the driver of nearby objects via audible (mutable) and visual indicators. The sensors are intelligent enough to only trigger during low speeds.
The visual indicators appear on both the left side of the dash as well as on the 17″ touchscreen . It’s especially useful on the center touchscreen when combined with the rear view camera.
I’ve found the sensors to be incredibly accurate in terms of reporting distance from objects, although it was a bit slow to activate. Approach objects slowly and carefully to account for this activation delay.
For a mere $500, a small price to pay relative to the overall price of the car, upgrading the Model S with parking sensors is really a no-brainer. Rumors suggest that Tesla may leverage these sensors in the future, hopefully in conjunction with the adaptive cruise control, for an auto pilot feature, but who knows – maybe it’s just wishful thinking.
Rear View Camera
The Tesla Model S is equipped with a high definition backup camera that has a really wide viewing angle. This camera can be activated at any time (even while driving) and will occupy 1/2 of your 17″ display. The quality is amazing and, while there are some benefits to using it while driving or sitting in traffic (like watching the person behind you shave), the main purpose of the camera is for backing up.
ALSO SEE: Tesla Model S New Features Reported
The rear view camera will automatically engage along with the parking sensors when the Model S is put into reverse. I can’t see any reason why an owner would accidentally damage the rear of the Model S while reversing with the combination of these two features.
The front is a different story all together. There’s no front view camera for parking. The parking sensors can take time to activate and sometimes don’t activate depending on curb height. The Tesla front is long and fairly low and it’s pretty easy to scrape the underside of the body on curb stops. This unfortunately happened to me on my very first day of driving the Model S.
That was enough to scare me into parking far away from obstacles now. The back of my Model S usually sticks out quite a bit when I park. So far that hasn’t been an issue but it is something I’ve been worried about. I’d love to see Tesla offer a front camera on the Model S, although I know there’s been ways to hack a Tesla Model S front camera together.
Folding Mirrors
The side mirrors have two features (bundled with the technology package) that aid in parking.
The first option auto-tilts the side mirrors when you the Model S is placed into reverse. Setting the mirror angles for reverse can be achieved by putting your foot on the brake, putting the car in reverse, and then setting your mirrors to the desired position. The Model S will then prompt you to save these mirror settings to your profile. The mirrors will automatically adjust to this position the next time you go into reverse.
The second option is to fold your mirrors in when squeezing into tight space. There’s a button in the middle of the mirror adjustment controls that will fold or unfold your mirrors whenever you want. If your garage is narrow or you’re off-center within your parking space, fold the mirrors down for more clearance.
You can also configure the mirrors to auto-fold when you walk away from the car. This isn’t a useful feature to me since the mirrors don’t stick out all that much and it’s really unlikely someone will smash your mirrors while not damaging the rest of the car. I had this feature enabled for the first week before deciding that I liked the look of the car parked with the mirrors in the normal position, better.
Summary
The Model S is a wide and long car but it has some great features that make parking easier. The parking sensors are a very useful and inexpensive option which I think is a must buy. That combined with the built-in rear view camera will help your Model S remain as dent and ding free as possible.
News
Tesla confirms massive hardware change for autonomy improvement
Tesla has confirmed that a recent change made to some of its recently refreshed vehicles is, in fact, a strategy it will use to improve its suite as it continues to work toward autonomy.

Tesla has confirmed that a recent change made to some of its recently refreshed vehicles is, in fact, a strategy it will use to improve its suite as it continues to work toward autonomy.
Tesla first introduced a front-facing camera on the front bumper with the Cybertruck.
Then, the Model Y “Juniper” received the hardware update. The Model S and Model X both received the front-facing camera with its latest update, which was officially revealed last week.
Tesla used new language with the release of the front-facing cameras on the Model S and Model X, confirming they will assist with several things, including “using Autopilot and Actually Smart Summon capabilities”:
“Enhanced visibility when parking or using Autopilot and Actually Smart Summon capabilities.”
This tiny feature on the new Tesla Model Y is perhaps its biggest addition
This is the first time Tesla has used this sort of language, as it was a completely different description with the launch of the new Model Y in January.
When Tesla launched this vehicle, it said the front bumper camera “provides a wider field of view for automatic assisted driving and advanced Smart Summon.”
Tesla switched from using cameras and sensors to only cameras with the launch of Tesla Vision several years ago. The company’s utilization of cameras comes from Tesla’s belief that Ultrasonic Sensors (USS) are not needed for self-driving efforts:
“Along with the removal of USS, we simultaneously launched our vision-based occupancy network – currently used in Full Self-Driving (FSD) (Supervised) – to replace the inputs generated by USS. With today’s software, this approach gives Autopilot high-definition spatial positioning, longer range visibility and the ability to identify and differentiate between objects. As with many Tesla features, our occupancy network will continue to improve rapidly over time.”
CEO Elon Musk has said that sensors were only a crutch and that self-driving would be solved through the use of cameras:
“When your vision works, it works better than the best human because it’s like having eight cameras, it’s like having eyes in the back of your head, beside your head, and has three eyes of different focal distances looking forward. This is — and processing it at a speed that is superhuman. There’s no question in my mind that with a pure vision solution, we can make a car that is dramatically safer than the average person.”
News
Tesla launches new Model S and Model X, and the changes are slim
Tesla’s newest versions of its flagship vehicles have arrived with some slim changes.

Tesla has officially launched the newest versions of its flagship Model S and Model X vehicles, but the changes are pretty slim, which is something we expected when a couple cars were spotted during public testing recently.
The new “refreshed” Model S and Model X were spotted recently by The Kilowatts, and the changes appeared to be a new front camera, a new color, and only a handful of other changes.
Tesla officially announced the launch of the Model S and Model X on Thursday night, and here’s what it listed as the changes to the two vehicles:
Model S & X are now even better – launching today in the US 🇺🇸
Highlights:
– Frost Blue paint color
– Up to 410 miles of range (Model S Long Range – our longest range Tesla yet)
– Even quieter inside: less wind + road noise & more effective Active Noise Cancellation
– New… pic.twitter.com/i4PcEklOWj
— Tesla (@Tesla) June 13, 2025
- Frost Blue paint color
- Up to 410 miles of range (Model S Long Range – our longest range Tesla yet)
- Even quieter inside: less wind + road noise & more effective Active Noise Cancellation
- New wheel designs & improved aerodynamics = more range
- Front fascia camera for better visibility
- Dynamic ambient lighting that brings unique animations along the dash & doors upon entry
- An even smoother ride thanks to new bushings & suspension design
- Adaptive driving beams
- New exterior styling for Model S Plaid, optimized for high-speed stability
- More space for 3rd row occupants & cargo (Model X)
We expected most of these changes, especially the new Frost Blue paint color, as it was spotted by The Kilowatts in its initial coverage of the cars being spotted a few weeks back. Here’s what it looks like officially:
Some of the changes are familiar from the Model Y Refresh, which featured the quieter interior through acoustic-lined glass, a front fascia camera, new bushings, and suspension improvements for a smoother ride.
However, Tesla did refine the Model S Plaid’s exterior for “optimized high-speed stability.” You can see the difference between the two below:
The front-end air diffusers are much deeper, and the front end is more boxy than the previous iteration of the Plaid Model S.
Here are some more images of the Model S that Tesla released in a teaser video:
- Credit: Tesla
Tesla sells such a low volume of the Model S and Model X that it was probably less than likely that the company would put endless manpower and effort into completely redesigning it. CEO Elon Musk said a few years ago that the two cars would only stay in production for “sentimental reasons.”
While they are very special to the Tesla family, they are not incredibly important to the mission of the company.
News
Tesla teases new color while testing refreshed Model S, X
Tesla teased a new color that could be coming to the United States with the new Model S and Model X.

Tesla appears to be teasing a brand new color while it was testing the refreshed Model S and Model X, which was spotted last week in California.
Tesla currently offers six paint options in the United States, but they are all pretty basic. This has not been a problem for owners as wrapping the vehicles is a common practice, but some people would likely see more versatility from Tesla in terms of their standard paint colors.
This is especially relevant as Europe has been able to have both Midnight Cherry Red and Quicksilver, which were, at one time, exclusive to the market.
Quicksilver made its way to the United States, and Tesla did release a new Red last year with “Ultra Red,” but Midnight Cherry Red never made its way outside the walls of Gigafactory Berlin.
Last week, as the first spy images of the new Model S and Model X were taken and released by The Kilowatts, there was a very noticeable difference with the vehicle, as other changes seemed to be relatively underwhelming: a new paint color.
New factory blue, coming soon to a Model X near you pic.twitter.com/3CuN4j1ipq
— The Kilowatts 🚗⚡️ (@klwtts) May 22, 2025
Many believed this was simply a wrap, but Ryan Levenson of The Kilowatts, a former Tesla employee, dispelled that rumor after several questions about it.
He said that this is absolutely a factory paint color and not a wrap:
New color too! If you know what you’re looking for you know that this is factory paint and not a wrap. pic.twitter.com/jBYrimZIQT
— The Kilowatts 🚗⚡️ (@klwtts) May 22, 2025
More images were shared by @supergeek18 on X:
New paint color for Model S/X 🤩 pic.twitter.com/Pb27JruhXs
— Henry (@supergeek18) May 24, 2025
Tesla released a new color earlier this year, but it was just a revision to Black, now called “Diamond Black,” featuring speckles that give a reflection and refraction of light as a diamond would.
However, this new color is certainly quite different than anything Tesla has previously offered in the U.S. before. It is relatively similar to Glacier Blue, a color Tesla launched in Asia. Earlier this year, Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla’s Chief Designer, talked about bringing the color to the U.S.:
“Glacier Blue is just a color that we’ve been talking about with our team — the team is like right through that window by the way — and we were looking at the impact of silver, how do we get pigment into silver and really add a little bit of personality to it. If you look at our palette, you know it was either darks or white, and so we were looking for something in between. Blue is always a fairly popular color.”
It would be a refreshing addition to the options Tesla currently offers, and a breath of fresh air for those who have been wanting a different look altogether.
-
News5 days ago
Tesla Robotaxi’s biggest challenge seems to be this one thing
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla confirms massive hardware change for autonomy improvement
-
Elon Musk2 weeks ago
Elon Musk slams Bloomberg’s shocking xAI cash burn claims
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla features used to flunk 16-year-old’s driver license test
-
News2 weeks ago
Texas lawmakers urge Tesla to delay Austin robotaxi launch to September
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla China roars back with highest vehicle registrations this Q2 so far
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla dominates Cars.com’s Made in America Index with clean sweep
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla’s Grok integration will be more realistic with this cool feature