Tesla Camp Mode: How Much Battery a Night Really Uses

The short answer

• Per hour: in three published winter tests of a Tesla Model 3 Long Range, keeping the cabin warm cost about 2.2 to 3.3 percent of the battery per hour. A smaller battery loses a bigger share for the same heat, so treat these as Long Range figures.
• Per night: at those rates an 8-hour night works out to roughly 18 to 27 percent (computed below).
• When it stops: Camp Mode shuts off if the car enters Low Power Mode. The current Model 3 manual says you can choose a level between 10 and 20 percent, 20 by default, at which Low Power Mode switches on automatically. It does not say that automatic switch-on is enabled on every car, so check Controls > Charging > Low Power Mode on yours.
• What drives the number: the size of your battery, how much charge is left, how hard the heater works, how cold it is outside, and the temperature you set.

The Camp Mode section of Tesla’s manual and its Camp Mode support text describe what the mode does, but neither gives a per-hour energy figure, so the numbers on this page come from people who measured it.

How much battery does Tesla Camp Mode use per hour?

Here are the three measured runs, each with its own conditions. They are not averaged, because the conditions are too different to blend into one number.

Car and Driver’s run is the most carefully documented. The magazine left its long-term 2019 Model 3 Long Range parked with the climate set to 65 degrees and wrote, “In the Model 3, we used Camp mode, which keeps the climate control on while the car is parked.” That car “uses the old resistive heater instead of the new, more efficient heat pump that was introduced for the 2021 model year,” and its 80.5 kilowatt-hour (kWh) pack had lost roughly 8 percent of its capacity after more than 40,000 miles. The result: “The battery pack depleted at an average rate of 2.2 percent per hour,” which the magazine said meant the car “could theoretically last a maximum of 45.1 hours, or just under two days.” One condition flatters that number. The average outside temperature was about 15°F, not a deep freeze, and the magazine noted that “even colder temps than our chilly 15-degree average would make the Tesla’s climate control work harder.” Two others cut the other way. Nobody was inside: “It’s worth noting that the human body also generates heat, but neither cabin was occupied during our test.” And the test began without preconditioning the battery.

The two Canadian runs come from an owner’s YouTube channel, FrozenTesla, as reported by InsideEVs, so treat them as one owner’s measurements rather than a lab result. In the February 2026 run, the car went into Camping Mode at 80 percent and “After nine hours, the car had chewed through 30% of its battery,” ending at 40 percent after 12 hours; recharging it back to 80 percent took 36 kWh. The January 2025 report says the climate control, heated seats and heated steering wheel were kept on, but it does not say whether Camp Mode itself was used.

Notice what the table cannot tell you. Both Canadian runs used the same owner’s 2024 Model 3 Long Range All-Wheel Drive, a car that should have the heat pump Tesla introduced for the 2021 model year, and both used more per hour than the 2019 car. But they sat in far colder air, and in the January 2025 run the seat and wheel heaters were on. With that many differences, these runs cannot isolate the effect of the heater type.

Recurrent adds one more data point without the detail to put in the table: “One user slept in his Model 3 and ran metrics on it overnight in sub-freezing weather, finding the battery consumed 1.36kW per hour, on average.”

How long can you run Camp Mode overnight?

Divide the battery you are willing to spend by the rate. The table below runs each test’s own reported rate down to 20 percent, the default Low Power Mode line in the current Model 3 manual, which is where Camp Mode stops if Low Power Mode is set to switch on automatically. These rates come from Long Range packs; Recurrent ranks battery size first among the factors, and on a smaller pack each hour takes a bigger percentage.

Hours = (starting % − 20) ÷ rate per hour. An 8-hour night = 8 × rate.

If you set Low Power Mode to start at 10 percent instead, you gain 10 more points of battery, which is 3 to 4.5 more hours at these rates. Whatever you set, remember that the charge you spend sitting still is charge you will not have for the drive to the next charger in the morning.

Does Tesla Camp Mode turn off at 20%?

Not exactly, and the difference matters if you are sleeping in the car. The manual ties Camp Mode to Low Power Mode, not to a fixed percentage: “If Keep Climate On, Pet Mode, or Camp Mode is on, the Tesla mobile app notifies you if the climate turns off for any reason. This includes when Model 3 enters Low Power Mode (for Keep Climate On or Camp Mode) or the Battery’s charge level drops below 20% (for Pet Mode), or if the vehicle detects an issue with the climate control system.” The fixed 20 percent line in that sentence belongs to Pet Mode.

Low Power Mode is where the number comes from. The manual says you can turn it on under Controls > Charging > Low Power Mode, and “You can also choose the percentage between 10% and 20% at which Low Power Mode is enabled automatically. The default is 20%.” Keep Climate On and Camp Mode are on the manual’s list of features that are disabled, and cannot be turned back on, while the car is in Low Power Mode. So if Low Power Mode is set to switch on automatically at the default, Camp Mode stops near 20 percent, and you choose that number. The manual does not say the automatic switch-on is enabled on every car, so check Controls > Charging > Low Power Mode before a night in the car; if your menu has no such setting, do not count on Camp Mode stopping at any fixed percentage.

The app sends a notification when the climate turns off, but a notification is not an alarm. For Pet Mode, the manual notes that app monitoring “requires both your phone and the vehicle to have cellular connectivity,” and a campsite may have neither.

That notification sentence appears word for word, apart from the car’s name, in the current manuals for the Model Y, Model S and Model X, and in the manuals for the 2017 to 2023 Model 3 and the 2020 to 2024 Model Y. For a night in the cold, the manual’s own advice is plain: “Avoid using Keep Climate On, Pet Mode, or Camp Mode when the Battery’s charge level is low.” The Low Power Mode menu and its 10 to 20 percent setting quoted above come from the current Model 3 manual; the other models’ Low Power Mode pages, and any Cybertruck manual, were not part of this check.

What does Camp Mode keep on, and what does it turn off?

The manual’s description is short. “Camp Mode allows you to power electronics through the USB ports and low voltage outlet in addition to maintaining the cabin temperature. The touchscreen remains on so you can play music, browse the internet, play games in the arcade, or watch shows in Tesla Theater.” You can also control media and climate from a paired phone.

Three things switch off: “While active, Sentry Mode and the vehicle alarm system are disabled. Walk-Away Door Lock is inactive.” Tesla also notes that “Software updates cannot be performed when Keep Climate On, Pet Mode, or Camp Mode is active.”

Is it safe to sleep in a Tesla in Camp Mode?

Camp Mode is built for it. Tesla’s support page says to “Use Camp Mode to stay comfortable while sleeping in your vehicle, regardless of the temperature outside,” and the manual calls it “ideal for remaining inside your vehicle, such as camping or staying with a child.” The manual still carries its standing warning: “Never leave a child unattended in your vehicle.” It adds one that matters for a night in the car: “In the unlikely event that your climate control system needs service or is not working as expected, avoid using Keep Climate On, Pet Mode, and Camp Mode. Never rely on your vehicle to protect something irreplaceable.”

Carbon monoxide. There is no engine, so there is no exhaust. Recurrent, the electric vehicle (EV) battery-data firm, puts it this way: “There are no tailpipe emissions to worry about; an electric car’s heater can be safely run regardless of fresh air ventilation.” That is the real advantage over sleeping in an idling gas car, whose carbon monoxide Recurrent notes “may be deadly if the car is stuck in a snowbank, avalanche, or other air-restricted environment.” Recurrent’s point is about exhaust. The air you breathe out is a separate question.

Carbon dioxide. Your own breathing is a different matter. A 2019 study presented at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) annual meeting measured carbon dioxide (CO2) in a mid-size sedan and found “The use of recirculation mode resulted in the accumulation of CO2 to levels above 1000 ppm in less than 10 minutes,” with parts per million (ppm) as the unit. The researchers flagged a possible risk of cognitive impairment from high CO2, for example above 1,000 ppm for several minutes. They measured a car being driven and found that speed had a moderating effect on the buildup, correlated with more air exchange; the abstract reports no parked-car test. Tesla’s Camp Mode section says nothing about air quality, but the climate screen has the control you need: “Air can be drawn into Model 3 from outside or air can be recirculated inside the cabin.” This page’s advice, not Tesla’s: set it to outside air before you sleep. The manual adds that changing the fan speed “may change the selected setting for how air is drawn into Model 3,” so check the setting again after you adjust the fan.

Security. The manual says Sentry Mode and the vehicle alarm are disabled while Camp Mode is active. Lock the doors yourself before you sleep; that is this page’s advice rather than the manual’s.

Does Camp Mode drain more battery in cold weather?

Yes. Recurrent lists outside temperature among five factors, after battery size, state of charge and heater draw: “The colder the outside air, the more heat is transferred away from a vehicle. Thus, more energy is required to heat a vehicle’s cabin.” It also puts the range of heater draw at “between 1kW and 5kW of electrical draw, with more energy needed to heat the cabin from cold than to maintain a warm interior.” The manual makes the same point about Low Power Mode itself: “In cold weather, available energy may drop more quickly.”

Heating hardware matters too. Recurrent explains that a heat pump transfers heat already in the car, and “Transferring existing heat in the vehicle costs a lot less energy than generating new heat, even when idle, but supplementary heat may still be needed.” Car and Driver’s resistance-heated 2019 test car predates the heat pump Tesla introduced for the 2021 model year Model 3. To see which heater your car has, check the heat pump guide, which lists every model and year and the menu that tells you.

Recurrent’s general rule, quoted above, is that warming a cold cabin takes more energy than keeping a warm one warm. One short reading shows the high end: a Recurrent writer in mild California weather ran a parked Model 3 on the “HI” setting for half an hour and watched the battery fall from 88 to 85 percent, about 6 percent an hour on a gauge that reads in whole percents. Car and Driver’s gentler warm-up told a different story: after opening the windows to cool the cabin to 47 degrees, it “didn’t see a significant decrease in battery percentage as the cabin rose to 65 degrees.”

How much battery does Camp Mode use in summer?

Every measured run in this guide is a winter one, so there is no tested per-hour figure here for air conditioning. What the sources do say: Recurrent notes EVs use the least energy for heating and cooling “in the 55-75 degree Fahrenheit range,” so a mild night costs least. Tesla’s manual says turning the air conditioning off “reduces cooling, but saves energy,” and warns that in hot weather “the air conditioning compressor can turn on even if you turned it off,” because it also cools the battery.

How do you turn on Camp Mode?

The steps from the manual:

1. Make sure the car is not in Low Power Mode.
2. Shift into Park. Camp Mode is available only in Park.
3. Adjust the climate settings if needed.
4. On the climate controls screen, touch Camp Mode.

These steps and the app path below come from the current Model 3 manual; menus can differ on other models and software versions.

From your phone: “You can also control Pet Mode and Camp Mode from the mobile app, by swiping up from the gray bar on the Climate screen.” Two app details can catch you out. The manual says climate you start from the app “automatically turns off if two hours has passed,” and it does not say whether Camp Mode started from the app is exempt. Start Camp Mode on the touchscreen and check it is on before you sleep. And if you switch the climate system off from the app, Camp Mode stops too.

To leave Camp Mode, shift out of Park or turn it off; the manual says “The climate control system attempts to maintain your climate settings until you shift out of Park or manually turn it off.”

How can you make Camp Mode use less battery?

• Start high. Every hour of warmth comes out of the charge you arrive with, and the manual says to “Avoid using Keep Climate On, Pet Mode, or Camp Mode when the Battery’s charge level is low.”
• Set a modest temperature. Car and Driver chose 65 degrees rather than 70 on purpose, “because we expect someone stranded would be immediately trying to conserve energy,” and said a higher setting would have affected the Model 3.
• Skip the HI setting. Recurrent’s half-hour reading on HI ran at about 6 percent an hour, above every steady winter rate in the table, though it was one short run in mild weather.
• Keep the windows shut and the grille clear. The manual’s efficiency tip is to “close all windows and ensure that the exterior grille in front of the windshield is free of ice, snow, leaves, and other debris.”
• Check your Low Power Mode setting. If it is set to switch on automatically, its threshold is where Camp Mode stops; see the Low Power Mode guide for what the car turns off below that line.

Frequently asked questions

Can you sleep in a Tesla overnight?

Yes. Tesla’s support page describes Camp Mode as the setting for “sleeping in your vehicle, regardless of the temperature outside,” and it powers the USB and 12V outlets through the night. At the rates in the Model 3 Long Range winter tests above, 8 hours works out to roughly 18 to 27 percent.

What is the difference between Camp Mode, Dog Mode and Keep Climate On?

Tesla’s current manuals call the pet setting Pet Mode. All three keep the climate running in Park. Pet Mode shows the cabin temperature on the screen for passers-by, is meant for short periods while you watch the app, and its climate turns off, with a phone alert, when the battery drops below 20 percent. Camp Mode is for people staying inside: it powers the USB ports and low-voltage outlet and keeps the touchscreen on. Keep Climate On and Camp Mode both stop when the car enters Low Power Mode.

Does Camp Mode work on the Model Y, Model S and Model X?

Yes. The current Model Y, Model S and Model X manuals carry the same Camp Mode description as the Model 3 manual, including the Low Power Mode cut-off.

How much does a night in Camp Mode cost?

It depends on your electricity price. InsideEVs reported two energy figures for the FrozenTesla runs. The January 2025 run used 34.4 kWh over 12 hours, which it priced at $6.05 at $0.176 per kWh. The February 2026 run at −35°F took 36 kWh to recharge, priced at $6.8 at a U.S. average of $0.189 per kWh. Car and Driver’s milder test drew 1.6 kWh per hour from the battery, so 8 hours is about 13 kWh; the energy you pay for at the charger will be somewhat higher once charging losses are counted.

What to plan for before a night in the car

For a Model 3 Long Range, plan on about 2.2 to 3.3 percent of battery per hour in winter, or roughly 18 to 27 percent for an 8-hour night. That comes from three tests; a colder night, a higher setting or a smaller battery can run faster. If Low Power Mode is set to switch on automatically, Camp Mode stops at its threshold, 20 percent unless you changed it, so check the setting first. This page’s own advice: set outside air before you sleep, lock the doors yourself, and keep enough charge for the morning drive.

Sources (13)

• tesla.com Tesla Model 3 Owner's Manual, Operating Climate Controls
• tesla.com Tesla Model 3 Owner's Manual, Getting Maximum Range (Low Power Mode)
• tesla.com Tesla Model 3 (2017-2023) Owner's Manual, Operating Climate Controls
• tesla.com Tesla Model Y Owner's Manual, Operating Climate Controls
• tesla.com Tesla Model Y (2020-2024) Owner's Manual, Operating Climate Controls
• tesla.com Tesla Model S Owner's Manual, Operating Climate Controls
• tesla.com Tesla Model X Owner's Manual, Operating Climate Controls
• tesla.com Tesla Support: Summer Driving Tips
• caranddriver.com Car and Driver (Jan 2022): Tesla Model 3 climate control cold-weather test
• insideevs.com InsideEVs (Jan 2025): Tesla Model 3 left on overnight in freezing Canada
• insideevs.com InsideEVs (Feb 2026): Stranded in -35°F, how long a Tesla Model 3 can keep you warm
• recurrentauto.com Recurrent (Jan 2022): Cold Weather Idling in an EV
• proceedings.aiche.org AIChE 2019 Annual Meeting (179i): Factors Affecting CO2 Accumulation in the Motor Vehicle Cabin