Would an elderly person understand how to drive a Tesla?

[Anonymous]

I have a top of the line Audi and it has a lot of driving tech like cameras and lane correction, but it’s not driving itself. So other manufacturers have options if you just want tech.

[Anonymous]

My mom sort of wanted a Y and it was immediately clear it was way too techy for her. Even most gas powered cars now have too much tech standard. For some reason all these fancy car makers keep monkeying with the park and gear shifter. Why do they keep making that so complicated and techy? For old people, you want to make getting in and out of park, reverse, and drive as easy as possible.

[Anonymous]

I think it is dependent on the individual and age isn’t relevant. My dad is 84 and loves to keep up with the latest. Meanwhile my 55 yo DH can’t figure out most apps on his phones and struggles with learning tech.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not put an elderly person in a Tesla who was not already used to driving a car with rapid acceleration or uncomfortable relying on a touchscreen for most functions.

You don't actually have to use the touch screen for most things. Voice commands are much more robust than in other cars. You can also put it in chill mode.

Like others said, definitely no using self-driving, but that should go for a lot of people. So many cars have hands-free now days and some people overestimate it. That truck hauling something hands-free - just no.

[Anonymous]

My 80 year old dad drove our model x around just fine. But my 40 year old sister in law couldn’t do it. It’s the person, not the age.

[Anonymous]

I had a Bolt for 4 years and very happy with it. My son has 3 Teslas and thought I should have one. I gave him money from selling my Bolt, he got a good rebate and he paid the difference. Unfortunately I am 77, suffering from depression, live alone and am NOT techy. I struggle every time I drive my hand-me-down Tesla. I am more and more anxious and confused when I drive it -- which is seldom. It's just way confusing for me and I don't remember very well so when I learn something then I don't retain it. Today I couldn't even remember how to put it in Park when I arrived at tennis or operate the sound system for the short distance. I am becoming more and more confused and afraid to drive it. There are many wonderful things about the Tesla Y. It even fits my electric hydrofoil board because of the deep area in the trunk. I am not dumb but this car is too confusing and frustrating for me. I would not recommend a Tesla for older seniors, especially women. Holly

[Anonymous]

If she learns new things relatively easily, then you can try a Tesla or EV. If she does not, then put her in a hybrid. She'll get some of the benefits of better gas mileage and lower fossil fuel use, but it will look and behave exactly like she's used to and will not have a learning curve. My mother drives luxury SUVs and they upload her with the higher end packages with all sorts of bells and whistles and with the exception of OnStar, she doesn't use any of the special features that she paid thousands for. I love it when we go to visit and I drive around in her car. I use a bunch of the upgrades, but she has no idea most of them even exist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think she should stick to a normal car.

By all means, let her test drive a Tesla. But she must understand that the "self-driving" requires continuous forward-looking observation. It cannot fully compensate for age-related reaction-time and vision deficiencies because it requires attention itself. In fact, some of the most horrifying accidents to date have involved men in the prime of life who trusted the technology too much.

The best car is the one your mom understands best and that has the best visibility to the human eye and safety alerting technology.

Agree. And it depends on which Tesla - we have an X with a normal steering wheel and levers for turn signals, wipers, and gear shift, and an X with the steering yoke with no levers. I would not recommend the one with a yoke. Aside from the rectangular yoke, the gear shifting is done from the touch screen, which takes a while to get used to. The turn signals are buttons on the yoke, which I still find annoying, especially on roundabouts. When I picked up this car from the dealer, I had to go back inside to ask them how to put it in gear.

My elderly dad had no problem with the X with a normal steering wheel with a lever for shifting gears. But he is very tech savvy and also has spent a lot of time in electric golf carts, and I think driving a Tesla is like driving a giant golf cart sometimes.

Maybe I am underestimating people’s ability to adjust, but I think the latest models with the yoke and no levers for turn signals, headlights, wipers, or gears, is a valley too far.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My dad is 76 and could definitely get it with a short tutorial. If your mom can't use her iPhone, she's going to have trouble with it.

My dad is the same age and just rented one for the day and had no problems with it. My mom didn't attempt it but both have iPhones and like the check out and try new gadgets. If someone is willing to learn, it would be easy to understand. But if not, stick to a regular car that is more intuitive.