Tesla Model Y tires

A Model Y has no spare of any kind, so a flat is always a repair or a replacement where the car stands. Its tire label is on the B-pillar rather than the door jamb, which is why owners cannot find it. And Tesla publishes no single pressure for the car, only a range: between 40 and 45 psi, depending on configuration and tire.

The sizes Tesla fitted

• 255/45R19 XL on the standard 19 inch wheel, across Long Range and rear-drive cars, given as 104 XL with a minimum speed index of H
• 255/40R20 XL on cars with the 20 inch wheel, listed as 101 XL or 104 XL
• 255/35R21 front and 275/35R21 rear on the Performance, which is staggered: front and rear are different sizes, and so are the wheels
• 235/55R18 104 XL, which appears only in the current manual's wheel and tire tables
• The 2025 six-seat car, staggered as well, on 255/45R19 front with 275/45R19 rear, or 255/40R20 front with 275/40R20 rear

The staggered fitments cause the most trouble. Those tires cannot be rotated front to back, and ordering four of one size for a Performance car gets you two you cannot use.

Every listed fitment is an XL, extra load, tire. The car is heavy for its size and the load index is doing real work, so never fit a lower one. See finding your tire size and EV and run-flat tires.

Where the Model Y hides its tire label

On the driver's side centre door pillar, visible when the driver's door is open. Tesla says so in the owner's manual, again on its support site, and again on the repair kit page. It is not on the door jamb latch face where most cars put it.

The fastest check is not the sticker at all. The touchscreen shows the recommended cold pressures under Controls, then Service.

Why there is no single number

Tesla Support's wording is that depending on configuration and type of tire, your pressure should be between 40 and 45 psi, and that you should check the sticker along the vehicle's frame for your specific car. The manual says only that pressures vary with the tires fitted and refers you to the label.

What we can tell you is the shape of it. A Model Y runs in the 40s, far above the low 30s most of this class uses, and that is the most common reason one comes back underinflated from a shop that assumed. On a staggered car, front and rear differ. Two more Tesla rules: when towing, use the towing section's pressures rather than the placard, and with Tesla accessory wheels follow the recommendation on the tire itself. The tires lose pressure as the temperature drops, at 1 to 2 psi per 10 degrees Fahrenheit on USTMA's published range. A Model Y sits toward the upper half of that, because it runs harder pressures than most cars of its size. More in our tire pressure placard guide.

Replacing fewer than four

Tesla publishes a rule and a number. When a tire set becomes worn, replace all four at the same time. If tires have to be replaced early, after a flat for instance, Tesla recommends pairs unless the other tires are within 2/32 of an inch of tread depth of the new one, and matching the brand and model of the older tires. Where all four are the same size, a new pair goes on the rear.

That 2/32 inch figure is Tesla's own, not a trade rule of thumb. See how many tires and when to replace tires.

What changes on a mobile Model Y fitting

• Jack pads at the approved lift points are mandatory. Tesla's manual says lift arm pads must not go under the battery or the side rails, that the shown points are the only approved ones, and that damage from lifting elsewhere is not covered by warranty. The car is never lifted with the charge cable connected.
• There is no spare, so every call-out is a repair on site, a tire fitted on site, or a tow.
• Tesla-designed tires are lined with acoustic foam. The liner has to be dealt with before a patch will seat, and many shops will not warrant a foam-lined repair.
• Tesla's limit for its own temporary kit is a quarter inch puncture in the tread. Sidewall damage, a ripped tire or a tire off the rim is a recovery, not a repair.
• Wheel nut torque is 129 lb-ft on a 21 mm socket. Several wheel designs have lug nut covers or wheel covers that come off first.
• The TPMS type depends on the car. Direct systems show a psi value per wheel under Controls then Service. Indirect ones do not, and need a manual baseline calibration after any pressure or tire change, followed by at least 20 minutes above 15 mph.

What we do

We supply the tires, matched to the load index your car calls for, and fit them where it is parked, on jack pads at the approved lift points. Pressures come off your own B-pillar label or the touchscreen, the TPMS is reset or calibrated for whichever system the car has, and the old tires go with us. Pricing is on our mobile tire replacement page.

Questions people ask

• What PSI should a Model Y be? Tesla publishes a 40 to 45 psi range and no single figure. Read the B-pillar label, or open Controls then Service on the screen.
• Where is the sticker? The driver's side centre door pillar, visible with the door open. Not the door jamb.
• I have a flat and no spare. What now? That is normal for this car. It is a repair on site, a tire fitted on site, or a tow. There is nothing to swap onto.
• Can my tire be plugged? Sometimes. Foam-lined tires complicate it, and sidewall damage rules it out. We inspect before quoting.
• Do I have to buy all four? Not always. Tesla asks for four on a worn set and allows a pair if the others are within 2/32 of an inch of the new tread.
• Can I rotate Performance tires? Side to side only. Front and rear are different sizes.