Does Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus Have Fog Lights?

By Zac Ludicrous •  Updated: 11/15/22 •  17 min read

Yes, but not quite. 

There’s a lot of confusion online regarding this question, so I will make it clear to you in this article. 

The Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus used to come with fog lights, but Tesla stopped putting them in mid-2019, somewhere around May

The interior lighting of the Tesla Model 3 was included in this tragedy as well or, should I say, the “mid-2019 downgrade.”

So if your Tesla Model 3 SR+ is an early 2019 model or older, you will have fog lights. However, if your Model 3 is a late 2019 model or newer, you won’t have the delight of clear sight during rain and fog because you, my friend, are without fog lights. 

Not only is the hardware absent on these, but the software is also deprogrammed, and the interface will no longer work even when you hardwire everything in place. 

Why you may ask?

It’s very simple. 

You have an Apple — I mean a Tesla Model 3. Apparently, you need to upgrade your vehicle by spending a lot more $$$. 

BUT there’s another way.

And I will walk you through the whole process of having fog lights on a latest Model 3. 

What if you have fog lights but they don’t work? Or you might not like the looks of the OEM fog lights on your early or pre-2019 model?

Well, this is your lucky day. I have done thorough research on all these matters.

Let’s get right to it.

How to Turn on the Fog Lights Manually 

If your fog lights are in working condition (you have an early 2019 or older model), you don’t have to turn them on yourself; they will turn on automatically.

Now what if the automatic fog lights on your Model 3 are not working? 

There’s a way to turn them on manually as well. 

First, you have to shift your Tesla Model 3 into Drive. You can’t do this procedure without putting it into drive mode.

Ah, technology.

Once you’re in Drive, you can then tap the car icon on your Tesla screen, and you will see a couple of options, including exterior lights.

Tap the fog lights option, and voila, you now have working fog lights. You’re welcome. 

Here’s a quick video from DIY Pinto YouTube channel to help you understand the steps visually. 

Now if you don’t have fog lamps to begin with, you can get aftermarket ones instead. 

Tesla Model 3 Fog Lights Upgrade

First, you need to know where your fog lights are on your Tesla Model 3. 

I have seen people getting confused by the long light strip under the headlights, thinking those are the fog lights. 

They are not. 

does tesla model 3 standard range plus have fog lights
Credit to TeslaModel3 Facebook community 

As you can see, the fog lights are on the corner of the light strip. And if you don’t have the bulb on the corner of the strip, you’re out of fog lights. 

Legal Considerations

Fog lights are legal to use, but — yes, there is a but — you’re not supposed to use them unless you really have to.

In most cases, you will be given a warning if you end up turning them on during the night when it’s not foggy enough or when it’s not raining cats and dogs. 

The angle at which you set your fog lamps is also something to consider, as the peace officer might stop you if the lights are blinding to the oncoming traffic. 

So make sure that the angle is as low as possible, which will serve the basic purpose of fog lights but will not be blinding to the oncoming traffic. 

If you have good headlights, you might not even have to use fog lights to begin with. 

You can simply have the aesthetics of fog lights, which won’t be a problem, barely an inconvenience. Even the installation is easy. 

Tesla Model 3 Fog Light Tint 

You can also put a fog light tint. However, you only have the option to go for a white or amber tint. Other colors are not allowed, and flashing ones are totally unacceptable in the sight of the law of the United States. 

The best color for fog lights is the yellowish one (halogen), which tends to illuminate the road better than other colors. 

White (HID) is also acceptable, so if you don’t want amber/yellowish fog lights, you can go for HID fog lights

You can also put tint stickers (vinyl) on your fog lights to give your Tesla a unique look. 

I’m really fond of the yellow vinyl sticker. It looks super cool on a blue Model 3, giving it the look of Dory from Finding Nemo.

does tesla model 3 standard range plus have fog lights
Credit to Tesla Model 3 Facebook Community: Louie G. Pacheco

The yellow accents on the blue color match up quite well. 

Here’s a link where you can get one of these tints. 

Moral Considerations

There are many instances when the driver gets blinded by the oncoming traffic with high beams or fog lights on full blast. In fact, not just the oncoming traffic, but also the person in front of you can be blinded through the rearview mirrors. 

So it’s best to use the fog lights when it’s absolutely necessary and to turn them off if someone is right in front of you or if the oncoming traffic is in the line of fire, I mean photons, aka light.

However, if you have an older model, the automatic fog light feature will take care of turning it on and off. 

But it’s still best to keep your Tesla Model 3 fog lights off unless you need them, based on Bob Triez’s experience below.

Credit to Quora

Aftermarket Tesla Model 3 Fog Lights

Best Fog Lights for Tesla Model 3 Overall: Hansshow LED Fog Lights

Hansshow makes tons of aftermarket stuff for the Tesla community, and they have made quite an impact in the aftermarket scene. 

In search of the best fog lights for the Tesla Model 3, I could not find any other aftermarket fog lights that are as good as Hansshow’s. 

The cost of these fog lights is also significantly less than competitors, so it has to be at the top of my list. In fact, it’s the only one that I would recommend as the others are way too expensive. 

So why did I choose Hansshow over the others?

does tesla model 3 standard range plus have fog lights
Credit to Tesla DIY YouTube channel

You get five LED bulbs instead of one, and their light intensity is also great — they are really bright, as some people say. However, there’s also a claim that the lights are not as bright as fog lights should be. 

This can be both advantageous and disadvantageous, depending on your model year. 

If you have an older Model 3 and want to upgrade your fog lights, these lights won’t be as bright. However, with the latest model that doesn’t have the required hardware for fog lights, you can hardwire the whole thing and keep them running with your normal lights. 

Now when you’re running your fog lights all the time with your headlights, you might be susceptible to a ticket, but because these lights are not as bright, you might get away with it, as it would appear more of an aesthetic upgrade. 

However, it would still be bright enough to serve the purpose of a fog light. 

As for the looks, I think they look great. They enhance the overall appeal of the Model 3.

They work the way they should and are inexpensive. What more could we ask for? 

Another plus is that they have an indicator animation as well. You will see amber turn signal animations in these lights, which look really cool. 

There’s a separate wire that comes with these fog lights that connects to the turn signal on the fender side. 

You also have a set of wires that you can use to connect the fog lights to the rear lights. However, there’s an easier way to do that, which I will talk about in the installation section below. 

The manufacturer’s installation instructions for these fog lights are not easy and require a lot of removing and head-scratching on top of all the elbow grease. 

But there’s an easier, pain-free way that you can go to have them working without a problem, which I will present in the later section. 

You can also install these fog lights on the Tesla Model 3 RWD without a problem. 

Dimensions17″ x 14″ x 7″
Light LED
Color White for the fog lights, amber for the turn signs
Weight 5 pounds

Pros 

✅ Inexpensive
✅ Looks cool
✅ Has turn signal animation
✅ Gets the job done
✅ Will work on both old and new Tesla Model 3

Cons

❌ Might not be bright enough for some
❌ The manufacturer’s installation instructions are difficult 

Best Rear Fog Lights for Tesla Model 3: Bomely Fit

These are the rear fog lights for Model 3 owners in the UK and Canada. 

All right, Americans can also use these, especially on the northern side where it gets a lot of snow. You can use it in other places, because why not, it looks cool. 

Unlike front fog lights, rear fog lights come with a lot of options to choose from. 

And out of all the Euro fog lights available in the market, the Bomely Fit rear fog lights take the lead. They’re a bang for your buck due to a number of reasons. 

They do not cost a lot, they look pretty cool, and they have turn signal animations just like the Hansshow front fog lights. 

However, their flashing animation might be a problem in some states, so it’s best to cut the red wire that’s responsible for the flashing and retain all the other functions except for that one.

The quality of these rear fog lights is also top-notch. You can have both the front and the rear fog lights, and they will look completely OEM. 

The only problem with these fog lights is the installation, as it is not that straightforward. It requires drilling some holes to make them look clean. You also need to remove the rear bumper, which can be tricky as there are a lot of clips involved, and people with a light heart might not be comfortable for fear that they damage the clips and the bumper ends up looking drowsy. 

By drowsy I mean you might end up with a gap on the side where the clip is broken. 

Then you might have to resort to the good old zip ties. 

My project car is held by these bad boys. 

With that said, it would be a good choice to leave this one to professionals. 

One more thing to consider before buying is that the manufacturer is working on a new type of connector to make the installation smoother. So make sure to confirm with the seller if you will receive the new connector/adapter with these rear fog lights. 

They also come with a 30-day warranty, so if any of the lights are not working properly, you can have them replaced for free. 

Material ABS plastic 
Dimensions13.82″ x 6.77″ x 2.64″
Light Red 
Weight 14.4 ounces
Warranty 30 days free replacement 

Pros

✅ Competitive pricing
✅ Looks great — almost OEM 
✅ Has turn signal animation
✅ Does the job
✅ 30-day warranty 

Cons

❌ Installation is not easy 

Tesla Model 3 Fog Lights Retrofit/Installation 

Overall, the installation of fog lights is not that hard. You can pretty much DIY as you don’t need any fancy tools to carry out this installation. 

Tools needed

You can get away with only some screwdrivers and a prying tool to take out the clips. 

Although you can do the installation without removing the front wheels, if you have a low-profile jack stand, removing the wheels would make the installation much easier. 

If you already have OEM fog lights on your Tesla Model 3, you can follow the steps below to remove them and then move on to installing an aftermarket fog light on your Model 3. 

If you already have OEM fog lights…

Move on to removing the three T25 screws, for which you need a T25 socket. Now if you’re not removing the wheel, you would need a flexible arm socket wrench or an extender to twist the screwdriver through the tight spot. 

Installation

The remaining installation procedure is pretty straightforward.

I’ve highlighted all the main points for you to understand better. 

Here’s a useful video by The Megawatts YouTube channel to help you with the installation. 

Extra step if you don’t have OEM fog lights…

The clips that connect the amber light have a lot of different wires. The blue one is for the fog lights, which used to have the 12V input, but Tesla made sure that it doesn’t get any 12V input. The purple one runs the amber light and has the 12V input. 

If you simply jump connect both blue and purple wires together, the fog lights will stay on all the time whenever your lights are on, which is not recommended — you might get a ticket for it. 

You should keep your fog lights turned off unless you really need to use them. 

The best way is to connect a switch between the blue wire (wire for the fog light) and the connector to the fog light so you can turn the switch on and off. 

This switch is necessary because you might end up with a ticket if your fog lights are too bright and are blinding the oncoming traffic. 

You can run the switch wires through the firewall (sort of), and you can either get a premade switch or make your own by 3D printing if you have the liberty. 

Make sure you get plenty of wire you can twist and turn inside the plastic trims to keep them hidden. 

You can have the switch on the dashboard area wherever you see fit. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Why are my Tesla Model 3 fog lights grayed out?

If your fog lights appear dim, there are a couple of possible causes.

There may be condensation in your fog lights. It happens when there’s a tiny hole or crack in your fog lights which lets the air seep into the vacuum inside the fog light cover.

Or there might be a problem with the fuse, their plastic cover has become dull and needs to get buffed and clear coated, or simply, your fog lights have gone to heaven.

In most cases, it’s the plastic cover or the fog lights themselves. You can simply do the remedy accordingly, and you will have your fog lights working again. 

If there are any visible cracks, it’s best to dismantle the fog lights, clean the inside, buff all the imperfections, and seal it well. Buffing the outer layer and putting a clear coat can give it a close-to-new look. 

Does the Tesla Model 3 come with fog lights?

The Tesla Model 3 SR+ used to come with fog lights, but not anymore. In mid-2019 (around May), Tesla stopped putting fog lights during manufacturing. So if you have a model that was manufactured after mid-2019, you probably don’t have fog lights, including both the hardware and the software. 

You also don’t have the interior lighting as it was also removed in this mid-2019 “downgrade.”

Can you control the aftermarket fog lights from the Tesla touchscreen? 

If your Tesla model doesn’t have the OEM fog lights, it is highly unlikely that you will be able to control them through the touchscreen. Because, to begin with, there’s no fog light hardware provided in Teslas that don’t have fog lights, and the software itself won’t recognize the fog lights being attached to it. 

Final Thoughts: Does Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus Have Fog Lights?

Because of the downgrade in mid-2019, SR+ Model 3 owners didn’t get fog lights. There’s no hardware or software to run the fog lights as they used to before mid-2019. 

The best way to have fog lights on your latest Model 3 is to go with aftermarket ones and wire them directly to the headlights in case the fog lights are not too bright. 

If the fog lights are too bright, as in the case when you have the old OEM Model 3 fog lights, you can just have a switch in between to turn them off when you don’t need them. 

The connectors for the fog lights have wires for both the amber day running lights and the fog lights, but the fog light wire does not get a 12V input. So if you connect both the fog light wire and the amber light wire together, you can get the current that you can control with a switch. 

However, this whole method can be challenging. 

If you want to keep things simple, just get the Hansshow fog lights and do the simple installation that doesn’t require you to have a switch. Even if these fog lights are kept on, they would still be in the gray area of being an aesthetic upgrade. 

As for the rear fog lights, you can go with the Bomely Fit. The installation can be hard, so if you’re not a DIYer, you might have to rely on a professional to install them.

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.

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