You may already know the Tesla Model 3 has heated seats, but does that mean they’re ventilated too?
This is a question many aspiring Model 3 owners (you’re probably one of them) have, and they need a definite answer.
Well, worry not!
After digging through all the related information about the subject matter from the internet and actual Model 3 owners, I’ve presented all the answers you need here.
Without further ado, let’s hop into it.
Heated Seats, Cooled Seats, Ventilated Seats… What’s the Difference?
Heated Seats
They come with a heating coil under the seat cover. As you turn the heating system on, the charge flows from the battery to the coil in the cushion, warming it up.
Pros
✅ Keeps your body warm in the freezing cold
✅ Alleviates chronic pain in your back
✅ Comes with three levels of heating, allowing you to heat the seats according to your preference
✅ Seat heaters are more rapid, thus warming you quicker than slow cabin heat systems.
✅ Reduces load over the batteries by simply heating your seats rather than pumping heat through every vent in the car
Cons
❌ Prolonged usage can result in burns.
❌ Improper usage can cause infertility in men.
❌ Requires frequent maintenance
❌ Creates sweat, thus leading to stains on seats and stickiness on the body
All updated variants of the Tesla Model 3 come with built-in heated seats. However, if you have an older Tesla, you can still get it for $300 simply by an OTA update and save your heart, butt, and other parts of your body from freezing in cold weather.
Cooled Seats
They come with AC fans embedded within the seats that blow air over a cool surface that refrigerates it to cool down by blowing out the air from the perforations given in the leather seat to keep you cool on burning hot summer days.
Pros
✅ Saves you from scratchy hot seat surfaces on burning summer days
✅ No more stains and stickiness due to sweat
✅ Cooling systems in seats are more rapid, thus cooling you quicker than slow climate control systems.
Cons
❌ Requires frequent maintenance
❌ Aftermarket options are complicated to install.
Even though Tesla comes with an automated system to heat seats to an optimum condition in cold-weather areas, it still lacks the luxury of cooled seats.
Even though there have been plenty of rumors that Tesla has patented the ultimate liquid heating/cooling technique for the seats, only GOD knows how long this revolutionary tech will take for proper implementation.
Ventilated Seats
They work on quite similar mechanisms to cooled seats. They also come with small fans and ducts embedded in integral areas of the seats that come into direct
contact with your body.
Ventilation systems in these seats throw ambient air from inside the seat through small perforations in the upholstery.
There’s also another form of ventilation system in seats that actually sucks air into the seat, hence maintaining the temp nice and cool.
Ventilated seats are equipped with fans with adjustable speeds, thus helping the occupants to choose the fan speed according to their preference.
Pros
✅ Protects the riders’ bum from burning
✅ Maintains the seat temperature of your car on scratchy summer days
✅ Prevents excessive sweating and dries out the moisture
✅ Increases the workability of other built-in features like massage, heated, and cooled seats
Cons
❌ A little less effective than cooled seats due to lack of refrigerated air which makes it quite inefficient for extremely hot weather, albeit works quite well in moderately hot weather
❌ Performance may get hindered in case of poor ventilation
❌ May create a humming sound in the cabin
This takes us to the core question of millions: “Does the Tesla Model 3 come with ventilated seats?”
Does the Tesla Model 3 Have Ventilated Seats?
To straighten things up, the Tesla Model 3 isn’t equipped with the luxury of ventilated seats.
“This is one of the biggest things I miss in our Teslas other than a HUD. I thought both were silly until I had them and then did not. Would be a great addition.”
ICE_Free
Even though Tesla Model 3 seats are equipped with a marvelous heating system, it doesn’t have any cooled or ventilated seats — and that’s absolute hell for people living in hot regions like Texas or Miami!
Considering the effectiveness of this feature, people are willing to pay even a couple of thousand dollars extra for this feature to be included in the Tesla Model 3.
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Will the Tesla Model 3/Y Be Equipped With Ventilated Seats in the Future?
Well, there has been quite an uproar within the Tesla community regarding the availability of ventilated seats within the mass variants of Tesla (Model 3 and Model Y) after a cheeky update by Tesla officials in the user manual of both cars back in January 2022.
Though it was removed from the manual later, still nobody can actually say anything with sheer certainty.
The debut of heated seats in the Model 3 followed a similar pattern of ifs and buts. The Model 3 initially lacked heated back seats; however, speculations persisted until March 2018 when the rear seat heating became officially functional following an OTA update.
And that gives us quite a good reason to be optimistic about the imminent release of ventilated seats in the Model 3/Y!
But it might make the car a little bit expensive.
Does the Tesla Model S/X Come With Ventilated Seats?
Yes, the Tesla Model S/X has ventilated seats.
The Tesla Model S (sedan) and Tesla Model X (SUV) are flagship models of Tesla and come with a plethora of unique features, but ventilated seats are one of the most significant of them all!
This exquisite feature of the ventilated seats first debuted in the Model X and was later introduced to some trim levels of the Model S.
Initially, ventilated seats worked on the blowing air mechanism. Vents were embedded within the seat cushion for the circulation of air, keeping the seats at optimum temperature.
But frequent complaints regarding slow airflow even at max flow settings made Tesla officials hold and review the technology.
Soon after a short delay, this feature was again offered with great accuracy in 2018 — but as a standard flagship feature on both models this time.
Are There Any Aftermarket Model 3/Y Ventilated Seat Upgrades Available?
There are a couple of options available in the market, but are they popular? I’d have to say no.
After a lot of research, Hansshow ventilated seats stood out as the only feasible option I could recommend for equipping the Model 3 or Y with ventilated seats.
The best thing about these ventilated seats is that they are fully perforated and manufactured with 100% Nappa leather. They are available in both black and white colors and get along wonderfully with the Tesla interior, looking truly OEM.
However, the extremely high price tag and really complex installation procedure that would eventually pinch you to hire some expert for the installation (making it even more expensive) are said to be the possible demerits for the average acceptability of this product among the masses.
Here’s what Tesla owners had to say about the complicated installation process of Hansshow ventilated seats in a Tesla community forum on Reddit:
I just watched a video and it’s an insane amount of work to install. Including removing and re-installing the seat airbags. As much as I’d love it, it’s a no-go for me.
CWalston108
Yeah, for me too, so you’d need to have a professional to install it, making it even more expensive..
[deleted]
I watched the ventilated seats retrofit installation video it is way way too much work IMO
JazJon
Since the whole seat needs to be swapped with the ventilated ones, there’s a really high probability of the airbags getting damaged during the installation process, thus further adding insult to injury — making people wave off this possible option!
But if you’re still interested, here’s a detailed installation video from the Hansshow Intelligent Auto Parts YouTube channel:
Frequently Asked Questions
Are cooled seats better than ventilated seats?
Even though both cooled and ventilated seats actually work on almost the same principle, cooled seats are believed to perform much better on super scratchy hot days courtesy of the refrigerated air they pump out of their vents.
And since ventilated seats pump ambient real air, they may not be that effective on relatively more gruesome days of summer.
Can you get ventilated seats in a Tesla?
Yes, you can get aftermarket ventilated seats in your Tesla. But it’s not recommended by most Tesla enthusiasts because of its high price, complicated installation, and potential to damage airbags embedded in seats.
Final Thoughts: Does Tesla Model 3 Have Ventilated Seats?
Confusions cleared, questions answered — the availability of ventilated seats in mass models of Tesla was certainly a topic that needed due attention.
To summarize, the Model 3 doesn’t have ventilated seats. nor will it have them anytime soon.
Tesla has been doing well with the heating systems in the Model 3 and Y and even better with the presence of heating/cooling systems in its flagship models.
It’s high time that Tesla introduces features like ventilated seats in its relatively cheaper models like the Model 3 and Y. The demand is pretty high, especially in areas with a hotter climate.
Yes, cost and delivery time will be an issue, but if it’s introduced as an optional upgrade for extra bucks, I think it’s doable.
Zac Ludicrous
Mechanical engineer by profession. TSLA shareholder before the hype. EV enthusiast all day long. Zac enjoys learning about the future of battery technology, autonomy, and EVs. He considers Tesla Model 3 the most important vehicle of the 21st century -- and is in a quest to improve the ownership experience of every Model 3 owner he possibly can.These 5 rare tips can save you so much time and stress – and few owners know about them (even after years of ownership). Sign up below to learn more. It's free!
