Flat tire on your Tesla: what to do right now

The first five minutes

1. Get off the road somewhere safe and turn on your hazards. If you cannot stop safely or you are in a dangerous spot, Tesla's own advice applies: contact emergency services.
2. Check the tire pressure readout on the screen. It tells you whether you are dealing with a slow leak or a tire that is already empty.
3. Do not drive on a tire that is fully flat or visibly damaged. It destroys the tire, can damage the wheel, and makes the eventual repair call an easy no.
4. Look at the tire if it is safe to. A screw sitting in the tread is a different situation from a torn sidewall, and the next two options treat them differently.

Option 1: Tesla Roadside, from the app

Open the Tesla app and select 'Roadside' at the bottom of the home screen, pick the issue, confirm the details, and request help. It runs 24/7. For a flat specifically, Tesla's published US policy covers flat tire services for up to 50 miles when the tire repair or replacement is completed through Tesla directly. Worth knowing: the generous-sounding 500-mile transport you may have read about is for warrantable breakdowns, and a puncture is not a breakdown, so the 50-mile flat tire terms are the ones that apply here.

Option 2: a tire shop

Any competent tire shop can handle a Tesla, and if one is minutes away it is often the faster path. Two things to mention when you call: many Tesla OE tires are lined with acoustic foam, which the shop deals with during a proper internal repair, and the car needs jack points respected because of the battery pack. Whether the tire is repairable is the technician's call, based on where the puncture sits, how large it is, whether the tire was driven underinflated, and any prior repairs. A damaged sidewall means replacement, no exceptions.

If you carry a kit

Tesla sells its own sealant-and-compressor kit, and its limits are stated by Tesla itself: it handles tread punctures up to 6 mm, never sidewall damage, and it is a temporary fix, with a maximum of 62 miles (100 km) before a tire specialist takes over. On foam-lined tires the sealant may not reach the hole through the pad, and Tesla notes that non-Tesla sealants can damage the tire pressure sensor. An external plug kit works differently, from the outside of the tire, and is not bound by the sealant kit's stated limits; treat a plug the same way in spirit, as the thing that gets you to a shop rather than the permanent repair.

Be ready for the next one

The two items that turn this whole page into a ten-minute inconvenience: a plug kit with a 12V compressor, and jack pads so any lift touches the right spots. Both live in our own trunk.

Every pick below was bought with our own money and fitted to a 2023 Model 3 and a 2024 Model Y, with the newer generations checked on a friend's 2025 Model 3 and 2026 Model Y. How we pick.

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Hand picked, owner tested

Lifting Jack Pads (4-Pack)

All models

Slot these in before the lift touches the car so tire shops never crush the battery pack. Storage case included.

$12.99

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Hand picked, owner tested

Tire Repair Kit + Air Compressor

All models

Teslas ship without a spare tire. A plug kit and 12V compressor turn a flat into a 15-minute fix.

$35.99

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Common questions