Musk Says Tesla Will Add a Large Font Option. What Exists Today, What One Owner Asked For, and What Nobody Has Dated
By EV Bandit | Updated October 20, 2026
At a glance. An owner posted on X that a neighbor with poor eyesight wanted a Tesla but couldn't read the screen, even on Large text. Elon Musk replied on October 18 that Tesla will add a larger option. No date, no sizes, no list of supported cars has been given.
Key takeaways
- Elon Musk replied on X on October 18 that Tesla will add a large font option to the UI. No date, no sizes and no list of supported cars has been given.
- Tesla already has Normal and Large text settings; Not a Tesla App says Large was added in 2023.
- The setting is at Controls > Display > Text Size, and the car reboots each time you change it.
- Not a Tesla App argues a truly accessible interface would also need larger touch targets and bolder text.
Elon Musk answered a single owner's post with a single sentence: "We will add a large font option to the UI." That is the entire public commitment, as quoted by Not a Tesla App, Drive Tesla and The Electric Viking.
It matters beyond the headline. Screen legibility is one of the quieter reasons a car sale does not happen, and Tesla's design puts nearly every control on that glass.
What the owner actually asked for
According to the outlets, Stephen Fleming was showing Full Self-Driving (Supervised) to an elderly neighbor who lives alone and no longer drives at night because of her eyesight. She would consider buying a Tesla if the screen text were easier to read. Fleming wrote that the text was too small "even with the display adjusted to large print," and suggested a "minimum 48-point type." We could not open the X posts ourselves; the details above come from the articles' descriptions of them.
"We will add a large font option to the UI." Elon Musk, replying on X, as quoted by Not a Tesla App
What exists today
| Question | Answer | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Does Tesla already have a bigger-text setting? | Yes: Normal and Large | Not a Tesla App says Large was added in 2023; its coverage cites the 2023.20 release notes extending it to all supported languages. |
| Where is it? | Controls > Display > Text Size | Not a Tesla App; Drive Tesla and The Electric Viking give the same path for Model 3 and Model Y. |
| What happens when you change it? | The car reboots each time | Not a Tesla App; The Electric Viking. |
| Is Large big enough? | Not for everyone, per the reports | Not a Tesla App says Large barely fits in some parts of the UI; Fleming's complaint is the example. |
| When does the new option arrive? | Unknown | Musk gave no date. Not a Tesla App notes the Holiday Update is expected in a couple of months and calls it a possible fit; that is the outlet's guess, not Tesla's. |
What it means for owners
If you or a family member struggles with small text, you do not have to wait: try Large now and see whether the trade-off, including the reboot when you switch, is worth it. The Electric Viking and Drive Tesla both expect the new option to arrive as a free over-the-air update, but neither cites Tesla for that. Treat it as an expectation.
One caution from the reporting: a bigger font alone may not solve the problem. Not a Tesla App argues that a truly accessible interface would also need larger touch targets and bolder text, and possibly a layout that adapts to the font size. Musk's sentence does not say which of those, if any, are included.
What we could not confirm
We did not find a Tesla release note, an owner's-manual change or any statement beyond Musk's reply. We do not know the size options, which vehicles and computers will get it, or whether it will be a new tier or a change to the existing Large setting. Two outlets and an aggregator repeating the same X posts is one source chain, not three.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make the text bigger on my Tesla screen?
Go to Controls > Display > Text Size and choose Large, the path Not a Tesla App, Drive Tesla and The Electric Viking give for Model 3 and Model Y. The car reboots each time you change it.
When is Tesla adding a larger font option?
Unknown. Musk gave no date. Not a Tesla App notes the Holiday Update is expected in a couple of months and calls it a possible fit; that is the outlet's guess, not Tesla's.
What did Elon Musk say about larger text on Tesla screens?
Replying on X on October 18 to an owner whose neighbor could not read the screen even on Large, Musk wrote that Tesla will add a large font option to the UI. No date, sizes or list of supported cars has been given.
Will Tesla's larger font option be a free update?
The Electric Viking and Drive Tesla both expect the new option to arrive as a free over-the-air update, but neither cites Tesla for that. Treat it as an expectation.
For reporters and researchers. Suggested citation: "EV Bandit, 'Musk Says Tesla Will Add a Large Font Option,' October 20, 2026, evbandit.com." If you have the original X posts or a Tesla statement, send them and we will update this page and credit you.
Related: not every Tesla gets every software feature. See our Intel vs Ryzen feature ledger for how hardware decides what you receive.
Do you set your Tesla to Large text, or have you wished for something bigger? Tell us in the Tesla Model Y Owners group, 255,000 members strong.
Sources
- Not a Tesla App: Musk Confirms Bigger Text Option Coming to Tesla Screens (Oct 18, 2026)
- Drive Tesla: Elon Musk confirms Tesla will add larger font option to touchscreen UI (Oct 19, 2026)
- The Electric Viking: Musk Confirms Larger Text Option Coming to Tesla Touchscreens (Oct 19, 2026)