Tesla Model Y Valet Mode: Set It Up Before Handing Over the Key Card

The wrong time to learn Valet Mode is when a parking attendant is waiting at your window. Set it up beforehand, know how to turn it off and make sure the person moving the vehicle understands the key card.

This guide follows Tesla’s current Canadian Model Y manual. Match the controls to the manual in your own vehicle; production versions and software can differ. It is a temporary handover routine, not a way to transfer ownership or erase personal data.

Enable it while parked

In Park, open Controls → Safety → Valet Mode. On first use, create the 4-digit valet PIN. Confirm the screen shows Valet. If PIN to Drive is enabled, enter that driving PIN when prompted before setting or entering the valet PIN. The attendant does not need your driving PIN once Valet Mode is active. See Tesla’s Canadian instructions.

Keep the PIN private. Do not write it on the key card or leave account credentials with the attendant. Practise the complete handover and return routine while parked at home so the first attempt is not under pressure.

Understand the limits before relying on them

Tesla specifies a 113 km/h speed cap and reduced acceleration/power. The front trunk and glovebox are locked; saved Home and Work locations and several functions are unavailable. This is not a walking-speed parking limiter or a guarantee against damage. Tesla warns not to use it while towing a trailer.

Remove valuables and anything you will need during the stop before handing over the car. Do not make the attendant responsible for retrieving a ticket, medication or another necessary item from a compartment you have just restricted.

Hand over a working key card

Tesla requires a key card for access and driving in Valet Mode. Its key-card instructions show the outside reader on the driver’s door pillar and the interior authentication location. Demonstrate both on your exact vehicle. A key card does not provide automatic walk-away locking: show how to lock the vehicle with it.

Confirm the attendant can identify Park, Reverse and Drive before leaving. Do not assume experience with another Tesla means the controls are identical. On versions with an overhead drive selector, Tesla’s shifting instructions explain that it activates automatically in Valet Mode.

A useful handover takes less explanation than a failed collection: “This is the key card; here is the reader; this is how you lock it; and here is the contact number if you cannot move it.” Keep your own phone and account access with you.

Turn it off when the vehicle is returned

In Park, select the Valet Mode profile icon at the top of Controls and enter the valet PIN. The authenticated Tesla app can also enable or cancel the mode while parked without entering that PIN. If forgotten, use Tesla’s account-authenticated reset options in the manual—not an unofficial bypass.

Retrieve the card, confirm the vehicle has left Valet Mode and check the seat and mirrors before moving. If something remains unfamiliar or unavailable, stop and resolve it rather than experimenting while driving.

Canadian manual checked November 1, 2026. Follow the controls and instructions displayed in your own vehicle.