TL;DR
- Tesla says a parked, unplugged Tesla can lose about 1% of its charge per day, so a two-week trip can cost about 14%. Cold weather and your settings can make it more.
- The best fix is the one Tesla puts in capital letters: leave the car plugged in when you can. Tesla says it is safe to stay plugged in for any length of time.
- If you have to leave it unplugged, at an airport for example, start with enough charge to cover the days away plus the drive home.
- Sentry Mode, Cabin Overheat Protection and checking the car in the app all use energy while parked. The Energy app's Park tab shows how much you lost.
- Never let it reach 0%. Tesla says discharge damage is not covered by the warranty or Roadside Assistance.
Holiday travel means a lot of Teslas sit in airport garages, driveways and relatives' streets for a week or more. A parked Tesla is never fully off. It keeps some electronics running, it wakes up for system checks and it tops up its small low voltage battery from the main one. This guide covers how much charge that costs, what to set before you leave and how to plan the drive home, using Tesla's owner's manuals for Model 3, Model Y and Cybertruck as of November 7, 2026. The 1% figure is the same in all three.
How much battery does a parked Tesla lose?
Tesla gives a number. Its Model Y owner's manual says that even when the car is not being driven, the battery "can discharge at a rate of approximately 1% per day," and that the rate "may vary depending on environmental factors (such as cold weather), vehicle configuration, and your selected settings on the touchscreen." The Model 3 manual and the Cybertruck manual use the same wording.
Tesla even names the airport case. The manual says situations can arise where you must leave the car unplugged for an extended period, "for example, at an airport when traveling," and that you should keep the 1% in mind so you leave enough charge. Its own example: over 14 days, the battery may drop by about 14%.
Treat 1% a day as a starting point, not a promise. Tesla says the rate depends on weather and settings, so a car parked outside in a cold snap with features left on can lose more.
How much range that costs, by trip length
To turn percent into miles, we used a 2026 Model Y Premium All-Wheel Drive, which has an EPA range of 327 miles on fueleconomy.gov (the figure in GetTesla's lineup data, last checked October 4, 2026). At Tesla's 1% a day, each day parked costs about 3.3 rated miles.
| Days parked, unplugged | Expected loss at about 1% a day | Rated miles lost on a 327-mile Model Y |
|---|---|---|
| 3 days (long weekend) | About 3% | About 10 miles |
| 7 days | About 7% | About 23 miles |
| 14 days (Tesla's example) | About 14% | About 46 miles |
| 30 days | About 30% | About 98 miles |
These are estimates from Tesla's rule of thumb. Your car's real number depends on weather, settings and how often it wakes up.
A worked example: 10 days at the airport
Say you drive a Model Y Premium AWD to the airport in mid-November, park in an outdoor lot with no charger and fly out for 10 days. You leave with an 80% charge.
- 80% of 327 miles is about 262 rated miles when you park.
- Ten days at about 1% a day is about 10%, or about 33 rated miles.
- That leaves about 70%, or roughly 229 rated miles, when you get back.
That is plenty for most drives home. But rated miles are not real miles in winter. Our guide to winter range loss explains why a cold battery and a heated cabin cut real range. If your drive home is long, add a cushion, and put your own drive into the range calculator to see what cold weather and highway speed do to the real-world range you can expect on the way back.
What to set before you leave
Tesla's Getting Maximum Range page lists what uses energy while the car is parked and not plugged in: preconditioning or climate controls, Summon, the infotainment and climate system, Sentry Mode, and Tesla or third-party app requests. It also says features such as Sentry Mode and Cabin Overheat Protection can affect range, and to turn them off when you don't need them. Here is how each one plays out on a trip.
Sentry Mode
Tesla's Sentry Mode page says that when it is on, the cameras and sensors stay powered and ready to record while the car is locked and in Park, and that power use may increase. Sentry Mode needs at least 20% charge; below that it turns off and the app sends a notification. Whether to keep it on in a public lot is your call. Leaving it on gives you recordings and alerts, and it costs more charge. Our guide to Sentry Mode and Dashcam storage covers the USB drive it needs.
Cabin Overheat Protection and climate
Tesla names Cabin Overheat Protection as a feature that can affect range. For a long stay, turn it off unless you need it, and don't precondition from the app while you are away. Our piece on two settings that quietly drain your battery covers Keep Accessory Power too.
Phone checks
Tesla's Cold Weather Best Practices page says a parked Tesla goes into sleep mode to save energy, and that checking the car's status in the app wakes it up and starts normal energy use. Checking once to confirm it is locked is fine. Checking every hour is not. Third-party apps that poll the car count too, according to the range page above.
Check what you lost: the Energy app
When you get back, open the Energy app from the app launcher and choose the Park tab. Tesla's manual says it shows the energy lost while the car was parked, since the last drive or since the last charge, with suggestions to cut that loss. It is the quickest way to learn your own car's real drain rate for the next trip.
Why you should never let it hit 0%
Tesla's manual says that when the displayed charge drops to about 0%, the car enters a low-power mode in which the main battery stops supporting the onboard electronics and the low voltage battery. You then need to plug in right away to avoid a jump start or a low voltage battery replacement. If you let the battery reach 0%, Tesla says other parts may be damaged, you are responsible for repair and transport costs, and those costs are not covered by the warranty or Roadside Assistance. Our guide to what happens if your Tesla runs out of charge walks through the rest.
If you can plug in, do
Tesla's manual opens its battery section with "LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE PLUGGED IN when you are not using it," especially if you won't drive the car for several weeks. The cold weather page adds that plugging in prevents normal range loss, keeps the battery at a good temperature and that the car "is safe to stay plugged in for any length of time." If you are leaving the car at home, leave it plugged in with your usual daily limit. Our charge limit guide covers what to set.
What to do
- Count your days away and leave with at least that many percent, plus what the drive home needs, plus a cold-weather cushion.
- Decide on Sentry Mode before you lock up, and turn off Cabin Overheat Protection for a long stay if you don't need it.
- Resist checking the app all week. Once to confirm it is locked is enough.
- Check the Energy app's Park tab when you return, and run your drive home through the range calculator if it is long.
Frequently asked questions
How much battery does a Tesla lose per day when parked?
Tesla's owner's manuals say about 1% per day when unplugged, varying with cold weather, configuration and settings. Over 14 days that is about 14%.
Is it OK to leave a Tesla parked at the airport for two weeks?
Yes, if you leave enough charge. Tesla uses that exact case as its example and says to plan around the 1% a day figure so you return with enough for the drive home.
Should I turn off Sentry Mode at the airport?
That is a trade-off. Tesla says power use may increase while Sentry Mode is on, and it turns itself off below 20% charge. Leave enough charge if you want it on.
