Teslas - Family /w Teenagers

[ThunderBay3Y]

Question for all of you with teenagers out there. We have 1 teenager with his drivers license and a 2nd that will be getting his license in the next few weeks. The 1 that has his license has the tesla app and a driver profile setup for him. As I think more and more about this there are some reasons we don't like the "kids" having access to the app (they can change schedules, charging rates, pop the frunk/trunk playing around in the app, etc).

Because you can't restrict access to the app I was thinking about assigning each of the teenagers one of the key cards and that's their key - linked to a driver profile for them - instead of giving them app access. They will only be driving them when they're with an adult or when they have their full license and have permission to borrow the car so it would be like grabbing the set of keys before you leave the house.

Anybody else do this? Pros/Cons? We wouldnt be inviting them in the app so I guess they wouldnt have a tesla account and therefore a profile that follows them between cars - but thats not really a big deal...?

 

[skydve1]

My kids are 22 and 24, and I'll be honest - If I had a Tesla when they were teens, I wouldn't have let them drive them. Heck, I wouldn't let them drive our Tesla's now.

You're probably better off getting them safe beater cars, because they will damage them/wreck them. Both of my kids dented/dinged and wrecked cars, and most of my friends kids did the same thing.
I did it too when I was their age.... so I knew it was coming. Inexperience and feeling invincible don't go well with nice cars.

 

[ThunderBay3Y]

My kids are 22 and 24, and I'll be honest - If I had a Tesla when they were teens, I wouldn't have let them drive them. Heck, I wouldn't let them drive our Tesla's now.

You're probably better off getting them safe beater cars, because they will damage them/wreck them. Both of my kids dented/dinged and wrecked cars, and most of my friends kids did the same thing.
I did it too when I was their age.... so I knew it was coming. Inexperience and feeling invincible don't go well with nice cars.

Lol I hear you - the thought occurred to us when we sold our 2nd vehicle for another Tesla that we really have no "learning vehicle" for the kids now

 

[bobbyjae]

Don't have any teenagers yet but there's no way I would let them drive a Tesla as their 1st car. There's a lot of decent, reliable used cars out there and a Tesla will just set them up for disappointment for their next car after that.

 

[Mateo83]

Just give them the key card

 

[jjrandorin]

Lol I hear you - the thought occurred to us when we sold our 2nd vehicle for another Tesla that we really have no "learning vehicle" for the kids now

I am an empty nester, but if I was in your situation I would give her a keycard, not access to the car via the tesla app (like you are proposing in your opening post).

I happen to think that teslas are pretty safe, and make pretty good teen cars for a few different reasons.

1. Car has proven to be very safe in multiple different crash tests and real world crashes.

2. you can inform the Teens that you can ALWAYS see where the car is, and ALWAYS know how fast its going, and where it is at any given time (unlike a typical beater car). Regular, well meaning teens will think twice about attempting to do "anything silly" in a car that mom and dad always know where it is, how fast its going, where its parked etc.

In fact, I would expect some sort of push back on "do you always have to spy on me? dont you trust me?" from them on this point, with the general answer being "of course I do, we wont always be looking, I am just letting you know we can, so when we say "dont go here / dont drive faster than X" you know we mean it, and also have a way to check if we want to.

 

[totoro722]

I am an empty nester, but if I was in your situation I would give her a keycard, not access to the car via the tesla app like you are proposing in your opening post.

I happen to think that teslas are pretty safe, and make pretty good teen cars for a few different reasons.

1. Car has proven to be very safe in multiple different crash tests and real world crashes.

2. you can inform the Teens that you can ALWAYS see where the car is, and ALWAYS know how fast its going, and where it is at any given time (unlike a typical beater car). Regular, well meaning teens will think twice about attempting to do "anything silly" in a car that mom and dad always know where it is, how fast its going, where its parked etc.

In fact, I would expect some sort of push back on "do you always have to spy on me? dont you trust me?" from them on this point, with the general answer being "of course I do, we wont always be looking, I am just letting you know we can, so when we say "dont go here / dont drive faster than X" you know we mean it, and also have a way to check if we want to.

Trust but verify. If I didn’t trust you, I would not let you drive the car.

 

[nate704]

Would you let your teenage kids to drive super car acceleration capable cars? I absolutely would not! Not that I don't trust them, but it takes only one wrong decision and that day might/could be the last day you see them.

 

[jjrandorin]

Would you let your teenage kids to drive super car acceleration capable cars? I absolutely would not! Not that I don't trust them, but it takes only one wrong decision and that day might/could be the last day you see them.

A teen / new driver can get into trouble in any car. A combination of putting their profile in chill mode (which they would be able to change, I understand that) and letting them know that you WILL know if they exceed speed limits etc will likely do more than just "asking and hoping" with a beater car.

 

[ThunderBay3Y]

A teen / new driver can get into trouble in any car. A combination of putting their profile in chill mode (which they would be able to change, I understand that) and letting them know that you WILL know if they exceed speed limits etc will likely do more than just "asking and hoping" with a beater car.

yeah thats what I was thinking - put chill model on their profile (knowing they can change it), maybe applying the speed limit setting just so they cant drive really stupid and give them the keycard not the app

 

[nate704]

A teen / new driver can get into trouble in any car. A combination of putting their profile in chill mode (which they would be able to change, I understand that) and letting them know that you WILL know if they exceed speed limits etc will likely do more than just "asking and hoping" with a beater car.

I agree that any car can be dangerous with teenagers in it. LOL
It is the acceleration that I am worried about. Beater cars don't go 0-60 in 3-5 seconds, Also, are you sure they are not going to do anything they will regret even if they know their parents are watching?

 

[gx9901]

Since the OP doesn't have an ICE car, in this situation I would get an extra set of key cards and assign them to the kids. I think you can lock their key cards in chill mode and put a speed limit on it (not positive about this though).

We have two EVs (MYP & Volvo C40) and an ICE (Subaru Impreza) in our household, where the Impreza was purchased for my older daughter who got her license last year. Our younger daughter is on her learner's permit now and practicing exclusively in the Subaru. I figure they should be used to driving ICE cars and later on switch to EV when they want. In my mind it would be more problematic for them to go the other way around. Since the world will still be dominated by ICE for several years, I think this is a reasonable way to go about it. That and I just don't want to let the kids drive the expensive (and fast) EVs.

 

[jjrandorin]

I dont use any third party apps, but if I was in your situation, I would probably set chill mode, and then sign up for either teslafi or stats (or self host teslamate) so that all trips on the car are logged and easily viewable, from a history perspective.

I would then talk to them and tell them what I said above, that we always know where the car is and how fast its going, and wont be looking all the time but expect them to abide by our rules. I would also not allow them to pick up friends etc ( driving friends around makes everyone more distracted, but new drivers / teens especially since they either want to show off for them, or get distracted by "stuff" while driving friends around.

It is the acceleration that I am worried about. Beater cars don't go 0-60 in 3-5 seconds, Also, are you sure they are not going to do anything they will regret even if they know their parents are watching?

Any decisions would be made by knowing your kids and what they are like, but no, no one would ever be "sure". If you have generally well meaning / obedient kids, they "likely" would listen, especially knowing that you would know, but part of children is seeing what they can get away with when their parents arent looking.

All you can do is parent (inform, guide, etc) and trust that you raised them in such a manner that they wont get into too much trouble. Parenting is very personal, and all humans (even little ones) need personalized attention when it comes to stuff like this, so only the parent can take a stab at what might or might not be appropriate for their own children on this and most other things.

I remember clearly being a kid and sticking a bobby pin in a socket (electrical outlet), even though I was told many times not to, because I wanted to know what would happen (no one ever told me "why" not to when I was a kid, and I am a fairly inquisitive person , heh). I think I was 3-4 at the time, and I am 55 and remember it still clearly (lol).

Hopefully personal lessons arent "too" painful, when they happen.

 

[MY-Y]

I wasn't a safe driver as a teen, my son is. He drives my 2022 M3 RWD as his primary car. Insurance is cheaper than it would be if he was primary on our four year old minivan (which is very odd).

He uses the app. I thought about the key card, but I wanted him to be able to pre-heat/pre-cool the car.

With my app, I can see his speed and location at any time if I wanted to. The Tesla is one of the safest cars he could be in, which was a big decision driver. This is extra nice when my other kids are with him. I got it when they were $40k vs the $47k price now. Having him drive it the past year, I'd do it again, even at the higher price.

 

[gaswalla]

I have 2 teenage sons who drive. Decided not to allow use of the Teslas, it’s not because of the speed, because we could actually limit the speed. The main reason was the cost of repairs. Even the most obedient teenage driver still lacks experience, and will have a fender bender. A fender bender in a Tesla often totals the car- at least costs thousands, a fender bender on a durable run-of-the-mill used car cost a few hundred bucks

 

[nate704]

Tesla crashes and battery fires

So yesterday (10/18/22) in Stuart Florida, an 18 year old was driving a Tesla sedan (not sure if it was a Y or 3, but def a performance model). Based on the news, He was speeding and ran into a minivan. as a result, the Tesla flipped over and The batteries caught fire. Both occupants of the...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[Corndart]

There's not a right answer here but I as a parent would not give a Tesla to a first time driver. Teens have poor judgement and its not their fault and it's not merely poor judgement due to lack of experience and ability to contextualize, its biology.

 

[pepperoni]

I’m reading this literally an hour after my teenage daughter smashed our Prius. No kidding! She’s a responsible driver, but inexperienced as are all teenagers. I have not given her the “keys” to my Tesla yet, and pretty certain I won’t now. If I were in your shoes, I would consider picking up an inexpensive car and sell it in a few years. Used car prices are starting to soften.

 

[pepperoni]

A teen / new driver can get into trouble in any car. A combination of putting their profile in chill mode (which they would be able to change, I understand that) and letting them know that you WILL know if they exceed speed limits etc will likely do more than just "asking and hoping" with a beater car.

I think Bouncie is a good option for non-Teslas. There is no asking and hoping. You can monitor their location and speed every step of the way.

 

[jjrandorin]

I think Bouncie is a good option for non-Teslas. There is no asking and hoping. You can monitor their location and speed every step of the way.

Never heard of that one before, but thats good information. Thanks for sharing.