Estate planning as a Tesla account holder

A Tesla Account is the digital account that pairs a person to their Tesla vehicle through the Tesla app. It holds the app phone (digital) key, the owner profile, any free-Supercharging credits attached to the car, and Refer and Earn referral "Tesla Credits." The estate situation is split: the vehicle itself is titled personal property that passes through the estate by title (or a vehicle transfer-on-death designation where a state offers one), while the Tesla Account and its perks are handled in the app. Each Tesla vehicle can have only one owner and one Tesla Account at a time, so when ownership changes — including at death — the car is removed from the deceased's account and added to the new owner's account. Perks bound to the deceased's account, such as referral credits and any unused free-Supercharging credits, generally do not carry over; purchased software upgrades that are tied to the VIN do stay with the vehicle.

Tesla, Inc. reviews transfer requests for Tesla accounts on a case-by-case basis after the account holder's death. Approval is at the company's sole discretion, and documentation requirements must be met before any transfer is considered.

During the account holder's lifetime, Tesla allows accounts to be transferred to another individual.

What happens at death

Tesla treats the vehicle and the account separately, so a death is resolved in two tracks. The vehicle is titled personal property: ownership passes through the estate (DMV retitling, or a vehicle transfer-on-death designation in states that offer one), and once the new owner holds title they re-register the car to their own Tesla Account. Because each Tesla vehicle can have only one owner and one Tesla Account at a time, the car must be removed from the deceased's account before, or as part of, being added to the new owner's account. The Tesla Account perks generally do not carry over. Tesla states that any credits for free Supercharging expire upon the sale or transfer of the vehicle and are not transferable to any subsequent owner or to any other vehicle; where a vehicle carries an annual free-Supercharging allowance, those credits reset on the date ownership transfers rather than passing along the previous balance. Refer and Earn "Tesla Credits" cannot be reissued, transferred, or redeemed for cash and expire 12 months after they are granted. Tesla also warns that removing a vehicle from an account cancels paid subscriptions and that benefits earned or associated with that Tesla Account are no longer active and cannot be restored. Purchased software upgrades, such as Acceleration Boost and Full Self-Driving, are tied to the vehicle's VIN and remain with the car through a private sale, so they follow the vehicle to whoever inherits it. Because there is no published bereavement workflow and the outcome turns on title, vehicle era, and which perks were attached, treat each estate as case-by-case: the car transfers by title and account re-pairing, while account-bound perks are generally forfeited.