Tesla‘s Summer 2026 update is rolling out now, and it’s a big one for all Tesla owners.
The headline act is Grok, which has had a serious upgrade. It can now make phone calls, search the web, and play music for you. It’ll adjust your climate and even pop the glovebox open. Basically, it’s becoming a proper voice assistant, just like Siri and CarPlay and Gemini in Android Auto.
I reckon this is the update’s real story. Loads of people moan about Tesla’s touchscreen-only approach, and how it’s nowhere near as intuitive or user friendly as physical buttons. Adding a voice assistant that can control most of the car’s functions means drivers can keep their eyes on the road more of the time.
There’s more for gamers and singers too. Caraoke now scores your performance while you’re parked up, with your best scores getting saved to your Tesla profile, so you can brag (or hide) from your friends and family.
Navigation has had a smart update as well. It already suggested routes home, to work, and to calendar appointments, but now it learns your habits too. If you do the school drop-offs on the way to the office, or a gym stop after work, it’ll start suggesting these automatically.
Tesla will also start prioritising roads you’ve driven before. It’s a small tweak, but this one actually has me (and a lot of other Tesla drivers) really excited.
The mobile app is getting some love too. For example, you can now view and share your self-driving stats straight from your phone. There’s also a new option to set your desired Arrival Energy remotely, so you don’t need to be sat in the car to sort your charge levels.
Custom wraps are getting easier as well – you can upload a design from your phone instead of faffing about with a USB drive. Tesla’s even published instructions on GitHub for building your own.
There are also basic little things, like parents can now lock the rear display controls for backseat passengers only. Kids can still watch whatever’s playing, but they can’t hijack the screen and change settings.
You’ll be able to search for Superchargers by name. Apple Music now lets you queue songs straight from search results. The Self-Driving visualisation gets adjustable zoom levels. And the in-car browser finally supports camera and microphone access.
New Model 3 and Model Y owners get a treat as well – fresh intro animations when you start the car up.
It’s a broad update, and the Grok expansion alongside the preferred routes are the standouts for me.
The update is free and begins rolling out “shortly” to compatible Tesla vehicles. As with previous releases, availability may vary depending on your region and hardware.
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