Tesla will add a larger-font option on the car screen for drivers with weaker eyesight
Elon Musk confirmed that Tesla will add a large font option to the car's interface, after an owner said the text is too small even with the Large setting. No date has been given.
Tesla is making its screen friendlier for people who don't see as well. Elon Musk confirmed on X on Sunday: "We will add a large font option to the UI." No date has been given, so the feature is still to come.
Where it started
It began with a post by Stephen Fleming. He was showing FSD to an elderly neighbour who no longer drives at night because of her eyesight. He said she would buy a Tesla on the spot, but the text on the screen is too small, "even with the display adjusted to large print". He asked Tesla for an optional interface with much bigger type.
Musk replied a few hours later. "The Tesla Newswire" picked up the news and highlighted the accessibility benefit, especially for older drivers.
What's already there
According to Tesla's official Owner's Manual, under Controls > Display you can already choose:
- Text size: Standard or Large;
- Appearance: Dark, Light or Auto, with Auto adjusting brightness to ambient light;
- Brightness: a slider the car remembers;
- Reduce Blue Light: warmer colours at night.
The new option would go beyond today's Large setting.
Eye-care tips for reading the screen
A few simple, standard tips from an optometrist's point of view:
- Have regular eye exams. Many reading difficulties are solved with an up-to-date prescription.
- Presbyopia usually sets in after 40. Near and intermediate vision get harder, and the car's screen sits right at intermediate distance.
- Progressive lenses have zones for distance, intermediate and near. Tell your optometrist you also want to see the dashboard clearly.
- An anti-reflective coating cuts reflections on your lenses, including those from the screen and oncoming headlights.
- Keep brightness on Auto so the screen isn't too bright at night or too dim by day.
Change settings while parked. Tesla's manual advises against adjusting the touchscreen while driving.
What it means for drivers
Bigger text helps far more drivers than you might think. Tesla's screen keeps gaining features through updates, like Halloween Mode. Until the new option arrives, switching Text size to Large is worth it. For FSD, see our guide to FSD (Supervised) in Europe and Romania.
