Grok in Tesla: what it does, which cars get it and what it costs

What Grok does in a Tesla

Grok is the AI assistant built into the touchscreen of recent Tesla cars. You talk to it the way you would talk to Grok on your phone: ask questions, get explanations, have it tell stories or quiz your passengers. Since 2026 it can also handle parts of the car itself, like navigation, climate and calls.

• Navigation: set or change a destination, add several stops in one sentence, find Superchargers (since December 2025).
• Car controls: calls, music, temperature and the glovebox (since the July 2026 Summer Update), plus questions about your Tesla and its manual.
• Reminders: location-based reminders, and the “Hey Grok” wake word (since April 2026).
• Conversation: general questions, stories, trivia and different personalities.

The full list, including what community testers found does not work yet, is on Grok Tesla commands.

Which cars get it

Grok needs a Tesla with the AMD Ryzen infotainment computer, which Tesla started fitting around late 2021: Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y and Cybertruck. You also need software 2025.26 or newer and either Premium Connectivity or Wi-Fi. Cars with the older Intel Atom computer still do not get Grok as of October 2026. How to check your car, step by step, is on how to enable Grok in your Tesla.

Where it is available

Grok launched in US cars on July 12, 2025, then reached Canada (October 2025), nine European countries (February 2026), Australia and New Zealand (February 2026), parts of Asia including Japan (mid-2026), and parts of the Middle East (announced September 2026). It is not available in China, where Tesla uses Chinese AI models instead. See the full country timeline.

Does it cost extra?

Basic Grok in the car has no separate fee, but it needs a connection: either Tesla’s paid Premium Connectivity or a Wi-Fi network. You do not even need a Grok account for basic use, though signed-out use is limited. The newer features that connect your email and calendar, and Grok Bot, need you to sign in, and Grok Bot needs a paid Grok plan that includes it (see Grok Bot pricing).

Grok Bot and connectors in the car

Since September 2026, Tesla’s support page describes two extra layers. Connectors link Grok to Gmail, Google Calendar, Outlook and Google Drive so you can check your inbox or calendar hands-free; you set them up from the Grok app or a computer, not the touchscreen. Grok Bot can then take on multi-step jobs from the car, like ordering coffee or booking a table, using the same Grok Bot account you use elsewhere. Both need software 2026.26 or newer.

Privacy

According to Tesla, Grok conversations are processed by SpaceXAI and are anonymous: not linked to you or your car. Contacts used for calls stay in the car. Grok only gets your precise location if you turn on “Share precise location”; otherwise it gets an approximate one. Tesla does not state how long conversations are kept. There is no official switch to remove Grok, but you can leave the “Hey Grok” wake word off and simply not open it.

Questions people ask