Tesla Model Y Owner Has Had Enough Of Minimalism, Adds Physical Buttons

This Model Y owner from China retrofitted his vehicle with physical buttons.

Tesla Model X with retrofitted physical buttons

Dan Mihalascu

By: Dan Mihalascu

Oct 25, 2023 at 1:14pm ET

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Tesla's approach when it comes to vehicle interiors is to go for minimalism as much as possible, reducing the number of buttons and controls to a minimum and adopting an uncluttered look.

While many customers appreciate that, there are some who voice their dissatisfaction every time Tesla removes some traditional element from the cabin, such as the replacement of turn signal stalks with steering wheel buttons on the facelifted Model 3, to name the most recent example.

Most people either love or hate that approach, and those from the second category are free to pick EVs that have more traditional interiors. But what do you do if you like your Tesla too much yet can't stand using the central touchscreen to access pretty much every vehicle function?

Well, one button-loving Chinese owner took the matter into his own hands and modified the interior of his Tesla Model Y to accommodate a panel of physical buttons that provide quicker access to some of the vehicle's essential functions.

In a video shared on X by @ray4tesla, we can see that the panel mounted right under the touchscreen looks somewhat similar to what Mercedes-Benz used on its previous-generation sedans. There are 12 buttons in total, and they all appear to be functional.

Some of them serve as shortcuts to certain parts of the vehicle's menu, while others launch direct commands, such as the button for opening the frunk and trunk, or those for adjusting the front seats, folding the side mirrors, or skipping to the next or previous song/radio station.

This is a pretty cool mod if you can't live without buttons in your car, but it obviously defeats the whole purpose of minimalism. To each their own, we guess. Like it or hate it, owners are free to personalize their vehicles to suit their tastes as long as they're happy with the result and don't do anything illegal.

What do you think?

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Given the language barrier, we can't get into specifics – all you Mandarin speakers please chime in – but attaching the switch panel to the back of the touchscreen looks pretty straightforward, and the same goes for connecting the wires.

We don't know how much this mod costs in China, but it's probably not that expensive. Would you buy something similar for your Tesla if it were available in your country?

Check out more third-party mods for Tesla vehicles

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