Tesla Matrix Headlights (The Full Guide)

One of the features Tesla owners love is the Matrix headlights they put on their vehicles, like the Tesla Model 3. Matrix headlights are a new technology that makes it safer for the driver to see at night without giving off a glare like the old LED lights.

This glare that the old LED light gives off can blind the other drivers passing by, which can be annoying to the other drivers. The Matrix headlights prevent that glare from happening, not blinding the person driving by and still giving the driver a clear view. Matrix headlights adjust the lighting itself using a camera sensor.

Note: If you’ve noticed that your headlights are blinding, there are a few reasons why this happens and how to fix it.

If someone is driving a Tesla down a dark road at night the Matrix headlights will adjust the lighting, giving drivers a safer view at night. Matrix headlights are a simple design that has some special traits to it.

Are Tesla Model 3 Matrix Headlights Worth It?

Yes, the Model 3 Matrix headlights are worth it. The performance alone makes the Matrix headlights worth having on your Tesla. Using a camera sensor to adjust the Tesla’s lighting, it makes it safe for drivers at night.

The low beams and high beams are not too much or too less on brightness. The Matrix headlight can lower the brightness level, meaning the beam only focuses on the right and left side.

The Matrix headlights have a feature where they will not blink at the drivers outside or glare. The Matrix headlights are a projector-type light, meaning to illuminate more of the road at a greater distance, they project a focused beam of light. 

This gives drivers better sight at night than typical reflector headlights. With the camera sensor, it keeps the driver focused on the road and not switching from low to high beams whenever a car passes by.

Matrix headlights have also been proven to lessen the energy usage of the Tesla giving you a longer battery power for the road.

Overall there has been great review on these Matrix lights, with most drivers saying they prefer these over the old LED. Even some drivers are wondering if they can get the Matric headlight on older models of Tesla.

How to Adjust the Matrix Headlights on A Tesla Model 3

Tesla makes it pretty simple to adjust the Matrix headlights on a Model 3. This model of Telso gives the drivers the option to adjust the right and left side separately.

This gives the driver the option to adjust both sides however they want. Here are the steps on how to adjust the Matrix headlights on a Tesla Model 3.

Remember when adjusting your headlights you are going to want to work in darker areas with low ambient lighting, for a better view.

Step One: On your vehicle’s touchscreen click on the Control option.

Step Two: Tap on Service. After that tap on Adjust Headlights.

Step Three: After you tap on Adjust Headlights you will see a message “Headlight leveling in process.” When you see that message you are going to have to wait a few seconds to get into the inner options.

Step Four: Adjusting the left beam you will see the Left option on the Model 3 touchscreen. To focus on the left beam you might want to put a clean towel over the right beam. Control the beam level by using the steering wheel left-hand scroll button. 

Step Five: After adjusting the left headlight, do the same to the right. To get the best focus on the beam of the headlights, put a clean towel over the left light. 

Step Six: Inside of the vehicle go to your Model 3 touch screen and tap on the right option. On the steering wheel using the right scroll button set your light beam to the desired level. 

How to Know If My Headlights Are Matrix?

Does your Model 3 have the old LED lights or the new Matrix headlights? If you are curious about your Tesla Model 3 headlights and whether or not they are Matrix, there are ways that you can tell. 

Step One: Check the Tesla’s VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) to see if your model of Tesla has the Matrix headlights.

Step Two: Look at the lights, do they have a circular bulb that is towards the outer side of the headlight? This is pretty easy to see if your Tesla has the Matrix headlights.

Step Three: When driving at night increase your light settings to a high beam. Matrix headlights will give you a bigger coverage and show the road wider. 

Step Four: If you look at the front bottom portion inside your headlight you will see that it is a little blacker than traditional lights.

Does Tesla Model 3 Have Matrix Lights?

Yes, most Tesla Model 3 have Matrix headlights. Since in the United States, Matrix headlights have been illegal until early 2022, meaning some of the older Model 3 may have some of the older LED headlights.

That is right up until early 2022 Matrix headlights on vehicles have been illegal in the United States. However; Europeans have been using this technology for years now, enjoying the features these projector-type style lights have to offer.

With the newer Tesla Model 3, they have the projector-type style headlights that are the Matrix lights. In most cases, the Model 3 does have the Matrix lights making it safer for drivers at night. 

What Tesla Cars Have Matrix Headlights?

The Model 3 is not the only Tesla car that has the Matrix headlights. The Matrix headlights have been installed in some of the Model S and Model Y. Tesla has found that not only do Natric lights help drivers see better at night but they also lessen the energy usage by 16%.

Unlike most traditional headlights when using the Matrix headlights the regulation rate increased up to 34%. Going back to how much better you can see with the Matrix headlights, the headlights’ illumination is increased by 12%.

In these models of Tesla the Matrix headlights will automatically switch to low beams when a car is passing, and back to high beams when the car has passed. Letting the drivers have a better view of animals, objects in the road, or people walking on the side.

Is It Possible for Model 3 Matrix Headlights Retrofit?

Yes, Tesla does provide a service for the retrofit, this service will do the coding that needs to be done to add the Matrix headlights in an older Model 3. This coding comes at a price, to retrofit the Matrix headlight it will cost up to $1,000.

Through modifications, the Tesla service team will need to add the extensive harness. This will help add lights to both sides of the Tesla Model 3. Based on the difficulty level of adding wiring this can cost anywhere between $1,700 to $4,000.

Another way you can go about this instead of using the Tesla service is to find someone who can make the retrofit by using an OEM software, this will reconfigure the necessary bits.

This person will need to be able to verify and add all the wiring harnesses. The best way to do this is to go to a Tesla service center and get the retrofit done there. 

Tesla Matrix Headlights Vs Old

What makes the Matrix headlights better than the old LEDs? The Matrix headlight is a projector-type light that projects a beam of light that illuminates the road at greater distances. Helping drivers see better on dark roads and highways.

Using a standard brightness level in both low beams and high beams, Matrix helps with visibility at night. The old LED lights can sometimes blind oncoming drivers because they are a reflector light and provide a great amount of lumen causing glare issues.

Matrix headlights use a camera sensor to dim the light beams to avoid blinding other drivers. 

The Matrix headlights are a projector-type headlight that projects a focused beam of light and shows light in a specific potion. The Matrix headlights use camera sensors to adjust the headlight’s brightness due to traffic helping the drivers focus on the road and not switching their lights from low to high beam.

Overall Matrix lights are better not only for the driver’s view at night but also for the other drivers on the road. When you are driving at night most bright LED lights can be blinding to other drivers, the Matrix headlights adjust the headlights so it is not blinding the passing car.

Rounding Up

In conclusion, there is a reason that Tesla is adding the Matrix headlights to their newer models such as the Model 3. Giving the driver a better sight while driving at night also prevents your headlight from creating a glare for other drivers, meaning your lights will not blind the other cars driving past you.

Using the projector-type headlight, the Matrix gives the driver a focused beam of light making it easy to see your surroundings when on a dark road. The Tesla Model 3 makes it easy to adjust the brightness of the beams to the desired level. 

Letting the driver focus on the dark road, the camera sensors for the Matrix headlights pick up on the traffic and switch from low beam to high beam giving the driver one less thing to worry about.

Since early 2022, Matix lights are not legal in the United States, so be prepared to see more vehicles with this technology inside them.

Overall the Matrix headlights are a great addition to the Tesla Model 3, with this new technology it makes driving on the road at night a lot more safer. Not just for the driver of the Tesla but also for the cars driving past, since Matrix headlights prevent the glare that LED lights tend to give off.