Tesla Model S tire size
Original tire sizes for the Tesla Model S, model years 2012 through 2024. Trim levels and wheel packages change the size within the same year, so confirm on the door-jamb sticker before ordering.
Check before you order. The surest answer is the tires on the car right now: the size is molded into the sidewall. The placard inside the driver's door tells you what the factory fitted, which can differ from what a previous owner put on. Our guide on reading a tire size shows exactly where to look.
Buy tires for your Tesla Model S
2021-2024, 19 in Tempest
Front axle
Rear axle
All four corners: $1,259.98 for 2 front + 2 rear, before mounting.
2021-2024, 21 in Arachnid
Front axle
Rear axle
2012-2020, 21 in
Front axle
Rear axle
All four corners: $1,427.96 for 2 front + 2 rear, before mounting.
2012-2020, 19 in
Same size all four corners
Each button opens our mid-range pick in that size at SimpleTire, at the price shown: a known brand with solid wet grip and a long tread warranty. The size page has budget and premium picks too. Prices exclude mounting. Check the sticker inside the driver’s door before you order.
Size by year and trim
| Model years | Trim or package | Tire size | From, per tire | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-2024 | 19 in Tempest front | 255/45R19 | $108 | Prices |
| 2021-2024 | 21 in Arachnid front | 265/35R21 | $121 | Prices |
| 2021-2024 | 19 in Tempest rear | 285/40R19 | $121 | Prices |
| 2012-2020 | 19 in | 245/45R19 | $89 | Prices |
| 2012-2020 | 21 in front | 245/35R21 | $100 | Prices |
| 2012-2020 | 21 in rear | 265/35R21 | $121 | Prices |
Tire size by model year
| Model year | Tire size | Trim or package | From, per tire | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Tesla Model S | 255/45R19, 265/35R21, 285/40R19 | 19 in Tempest front, 21 in Arachnid front or 19 in Tempest rear | $108 | Prices |
| 2023 Tesla Model S | 255/45R19, 265/35R21, 285/40R19 | 19 in Tempest front, 21 in Arachnid front or 19 in Tempest rear | $108 | Prices |
| 2022 Tesla Model S | 255/45R19, 265/35R21, 285/40R19 | 19 in Tempest front, 21 in Arachnid front or 19 in Tempest rear | $108 | Prices |
| 2021 Tesla Model S | 255/45R19, 265/35R21, 285/40R19 | 19 in Tempest front, 21 in Arachnid front or 19 in Tempest rear | $108 | Prices |
| 2020 Tesla Model S | 245/45R19, 245/35R21, 265/35R21 | 19 in, 21 in front or 21 in rear | $89 | Prices |
| 2019 Tesla Model S | 245/45R19, 245/35R21, 265/35R21 | 19 in, 21 in front or 21 in rear | $89 | Prices |
| 2018 Tesla Model S | 245/45R19, 245/35R21, 265/35R21 | 19 in, 21 in front or 21 in rear | $89 | Prices |
| 2017 Tesla Model S | 245/45R19, 245/35R21, 265/35R21 | 19 in, 21 in front or 21 in rear | $89 | Prices |
| 2016 Tesla Model S | 245/45R19, 245/35R21, 265/35R21 | 19 in, 21 in front or 21 in rear | $89 | Prices |
| 2015 Tesla Model S | 245/45R19, 245/35R21, 265/35R21 | 19 in, 21 in front or 21 in rear | $89 | Prices |
| 2014 Tesla Model S | 245/45R19, 245/35R21, 265/35R21 | 19 in, 21 in front or 21 in rear | $89 | Prices |
| 2013 Tesla Model S | 245/45R19, 245/35R21, 265/35R21 | 19 in, 21 in front or 21 in rear | $89 | Prices |
| 2012 Tesla Model S | 245/45R19, 245/35R21, 265/35R21 | 19 in, 21 in front or 21 in rear | $89 | Prices |
What Tesla approves
Tesla-spec tires are marked T0, T1 or T2, and usually contain acoustic foam.
Tesla specifies a tire with a foam layer glued inside the tread to cut road noise, which matters far more in a car with no engine to mask it. The foam is also why Tesla-spec tires cost more and why some shops will not plug them.
Brands that carry the approval
Written on the sidewall as: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (T0), Hankook iON evo (T1).
The drawing carries the sizes we list for this car, so you know what you are looking for. The placard on the car is still the final word, and it is the only place that gives the cold pressures: the number molded into the sidewall is the maximum the tire can hold, not what your car wants.
What those tires cost
Buying wheels at the same time?
A staggered car is the one case where new wheels and new tires usually happen together, because a bent or corroded rear rim is what sends most people shopping in the first place. Four numbers have to match before the size does any good.
- Bolt pattern
- Number of studs and the circle they sit on, written as 5x114.3. It is not adjustable; adapters are a compromise.
- Offset
- How far the mounting face sits from the centre line. Wrong offset rubs the strut or the fender, even in the right size.
- Centre bore
- The hole in the middle must sit on the hub, not on the bolts. A hub-centric ring fills a bore that is too large.
- Load rating
- Each wheel must carry its share of the loaded car. This is what gets missed on trucks and on anything towing.
Wheels and complete wheel and tire packages, mounted and balanced.
About the Tesla Model S
The Model S is Tesla's full-size electric liftback, in production from June 2012 and the car that made electric cars aspirational rather than apologetic. Tire buyers land here for three reasons specific to the car: it is heavy, it is very fast, and the 21-inch wheel option runs a staggered setup that cannot be rotated. There is also no spare tire, which changes what happens when a tire fails.
Launched in 2012. Launched in June 2012 from Tesla's Fremont, California factory, the Model S was the company's second car and its first built in-house, a large liftback with a skateboard battery, a front trunk and a 17-inch touchscreen at a time when no rival offered any of it.
How to tell the model years apart
Wheel and tire sizes follow the generation, not the badge, so identifying yours matters before you order.
2012-2016
Original body
Identifiable by the black plastic nose cone with a body-colored panel, standing in for a grille the car does not need. Interiors have a large portrait touchscreen and, on early cars, an optional pair of rear-facing child seats in the cargo area. Standard wheels are 19-inch with 245/45R19 tires; the 21-inch option is staggered, with 245/35R21 front and 265/35R21 rear.
2017-2020
First facelift
The nose cone is gone, replaced by a smooth body-colored panel with a small black slot beneath it, which is the fastest way to date one of these cars. LED headlights and a revised front bumper came with it, and the battery options simplified over time. Wheel and tire sizes carry over, 19-inch square or 21-inch staggered.
2021-2024
Second facelift (Palladium)
Exterior changes are minor, but the interior is completely new, with a landscape center screen, a second screen for rear passengers and, initially, a yoke instead of a steering wheel. The tri-motor Plaid arrived here with 1,020 horsepower. Standard 19-inch wheels take 255/45R19, while the 21-inch Arachnid wheels run 265/35R21 at the front.
What the press said
The Model S arrived to reviews that few cars ever receive, winning Motor Trend Car of the Year for 2013 as the first electric vehicle to take the award and appearing on Car and Driver's 10Best list in 2015 and 2016. Praise centered on the range, the acceleration, the packaging and the way it made electric propulsion desirable rather than virtuous. Criticism has grown steadily as rivals arrived: interior materials and build quality below the price, a yoke steering wheel that reviewers almost universally disliked, service network frustrations, and Autopilot capabilities that testers found narrower than the marketing implied. Recent reviews acknowledge the range and speed while noting that German and Korean rivals now do luxury better.
Newer competition lays the luxury on thicker, but with impressive range and plenty of punch, the Model S is still a compelling option.
Car and Driver, 2026
Was it a success?
A commercial and cultural success far out of proportion to its volume, and the car that forced every established automaker to take electric vehicles seriously. Resale fell hard as newer and cheaper Teslas arrived and as battery and repair costs became better understood, which makes a used Model S look like a bargain until the first out-of-warranty repair. Its standing today is as a fast, long-range sedan with a thin interior, a weak service reputation and running costs that depend heavily on whether the battery and drive units are still covered.
Did you know?
- The Model S was the first electric vehicle to win Motor Trend Car of the Year, taking the 2013 award.
- Because there is no engine, the Model S has a front trunk as well as a rear one, and early cars could be ordered with two rear-facing child seats in the cargo area, making it a seven-seater.
- The tri-motor Plaid version is rated at 1,020 horsepower, more than four times the output of the entry-level 40 kWh car Tesla originally planned and then cancelled.
Tire options on the Tesla Model S
Nineteen-inch cars run a square setup, 245/45R19 on 2012-2020 examples and 255/45R19 on 2021 and later, while the 21-inch option is staggered, pairing a narrower front with a 265/35R21 rear, which means those tires cannot be rotated front to rear and the rears wear out well before the fronts. Tesla has not used run-flats, but the factory tires are usually acoustic-foam-lined Michelin or Goodyear performance tires in an extra-load rating, and both the foam and the load index matter on a car that weighs around 4,800 pounds and makes instant torque. There is no spare tire in any Model S, only a repair kit, so a sidewall failure on a 21-inch tire means a flatbed. Upsizing is not a thing owners do here; downsizing is, because a 19-inch wheel with a taller sidewall improves ride, range and pothole survival. Winter tires are strongly recommended and readily available in 245/45R19 and 255/45R19, which is another argument for keeping a set of 19s if the car came on 21s.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, caranddriver.com.
Tesla Model S tires: common questions
What size tires does a Tesla Model S take?
The most common original size is 265/35R21. Other model years and trims use different sizes, so check the list on this page and confirm against the sticker inside your driver's door.
Can I fit a different size on my Tesla Model S?
You can, within limits: the overall diameter should stay within about 3 percent of the original, and the load index and speed rating must meet or exceed the door placard. Anything further changes your speedometer reading and can rub at full lock.
Where is the tire size on a Tesla Model S?
Open the driver's door and look at the white and yellow placard on the door jamb or the B-pillar. The same size is also molded into the sidewall of the tires currently on the car, unless someone changed them.
What size tires does a 2024 Tesla Model S take?
The 2024 Tesla Model S came from the factory on 255/45R19 and 265/35R21 and 285/40R19. Wheel packages can change that within the same model year, so check the placard inside the door jamb before you order.
What size tires does a 2023 Tesla Model S take?
The 2023 Tesla Model S came from the factory on 255/45R19 and 265/35R21 and 285/40R19. Wheel packages can change that within the same model year, so check the placard inside the door jamb before you order.
What size tires does a 2022 Tesla Model S take?
The 2022 Tesla Model S came from the factory on 255/45R19 and 265/35R21 and 285/40R19. Wheel packages can change that within the same model year, so check the placard inside the door jamb before you order.