Tesla Introduces Swivel Screen for Model S and Model X

Will wonders never cease? Now you can aim your Tesla's screen at your face

written by Christian Wardlaw^{Correspondent
Christian Wardlaw has worked in the automotive industry since 1994. He has written nearly 10,000 car-related articles and tested and reviewed more than 2,000 vehicles over the course of his career. Chris is a correspondent at Edmunds and was the first editor-in-chief of Edmunds.com in the 1990s. He has also contributed to Autotrader, CarGurus, J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book, NADAguides, New York Daily News Autos and WardsAuto. His mom claims that his first word was “car,” and Chris believes that Miata is always the answer.}
5/6/2022
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New Tesla swivel screen is reportedly available.
The upgrade is apparently installed in the Model S and Model X.
You can angle the display left or right but not tilt the screen up or down.

Google "Tesla swivel screen" and you'll find a page of photos, videos, ads and links to companies that specialize in aftermarket pivot-style screen upgrades for the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y. For about 200 bucks, you can install one and move the screen left, right, up and down to your heart's delight. In addition to making it easier for a driver or a front-seat passenger to view or use the screen, it also potentially cuts down on reflections and glare.

But you know what you won't see? An equivalent item for the Tesla Model S and Model X. That's because for a long time their infotainment screens were embedded into the dashboard and because Tesla recently added a new 17-inch display to both models.

Tesla owners clearly want this feature. If they didn't, there wouldn't be a thriving aftermarket for it.

There is good news to report on this front. Based on a short video clip posted to Twitter by a new Model S owner, it appears that a factory-supplied motorized screen adjustment is now in production for the Model S and Model X, allowing owners to swivel the screen to the left or the right.

Swiveling began for Model S and Model X in April

Reportedly, the new Tesla swivel screen went into production at the end of April, and it allows you to aim the center infotainment display at the driver, at the front passenger, or as was the case before, at the back seat. Naturally, it didn't take long for the internet to compare the Tesla swivel screen to the rotating screen in the Fisker Ocean.

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Tesla finally added screen swivel to the refreshed model s pic.twitter.com/JeldBrRTXw
— Larry Li (@TeslaFrunk) May 3, 2022

As seen in the Tesla clip, electric motors adjust the Model S screen's position based on input from the driver. You access the virtual on-screen adjustment buttons, hold until the screen is aimed in the direction you wish, and then release your fingertip from the display. It appears that you cannot tilt the screen up or down, as with the aftermarket pivot-style attachment offered for the Model 3 and Model Y. Instead, you can only angle it left or right. Baby steps.

There is a practical use for a Tesla swivel screen: It makes the display easier to reference and reach for a driver. Adjusting the screen could, depending on the situation, cut down on reflections and glare too.

Edmunds says

We think an adjustable center display screen is a smart idea, and it's nice to see Tesla add a genuinely useful gee-whiz-bang feature that customers want for reasons other than trolling for Instagram likes. Anything that can help to cut glare and reflections while making a vehicle's technology easier to see and use earns our favor.

by Christian Wardlaw

Christian Wardlaw has worked in the automotive industry since 1994. He has written nearly 10,000 car-related articles and tested and reviewed more than 2,000 vehicles over the course of his career. Chris is a correspondent at Edmunds and was the first editor-in-chief of Edmunds.com in the 1990s. He has also contributed to Autotrader, CarGurus, J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book, NADAguides, New York Daily News Autos and WardsAuto. His mom claims that his first word was “car,” and Chris believes that Miata is always the answer.