Tesla Model 3 indicator stalk reintroduced in China. Is it on the way to the UK?

Sometimes the old ways are the best. Case in point, two years ago the new (and much improved) Tesla Model 3 was launched without an indicator stalk, which caused some backlash to say the least. Thankfully the company has listened to reason and brought back the old fashioned indicators!

Unfortunately, for now it’s only customers in China that can get the Model 3 with an indicator stalk. Cars sold in the UK still feature touch-sensitive panels on the steering wheel for the indicators. We’ve found during our testing that these can be irritating to use in certain situations, like on roundabouts or other instances when you’ve turned the steering wheel but need to indicate.

What’s more, existing Model 3 owners in China will be able to retrofit an indicator stalk to their car with a kit costing roughly £250 . Or a ‘Turn Signal Lever Modification’ as it’s referred to on Tesla’s website. The price includes a new steering wheel without the now redundant indicator buttons, and we’ve been told the original wheel will be recycled by Tesla. 

There’s no word yet on whether the indicator stalk will be returning to the Model 3 in the UK or any other markets outside of China. 

If you’re not bothered by the buttons for indicators, the new Tesla Model 3 is available through our Buy A Car service from £39,990 and can be leased from only £300 per month. Alternatively, there are more than 100 used models in stock around the UK, including older examples that do have proper indicators.

Tesla admits: “Maybe we deleted too much”

Tesla putting the indicator stalk back into the Model 3 is less surprising when you consider that the facelifted Model Y, which arrived last year, did come with one. An incredibly cheap-feeling one mind you. During our testing we found that the stalk doesn’t click into place when you use it, which proved annoying. 

Regardless, Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of vehicle engineering, explained the decision in an interview earlier this year: “With the indicator stalk, we always say at Tesla if you aren’t deleting so much that you have to put something back in, you haven’t deleted enough. Well, maybe we deleted too much.”

In the same interview, head of design, Franz von Holzhausen, discussed Tesla's obsession with minimalism and removing buttons. “In a world where we're going to see more and more autonomous vehicles, and full self-driving for Tesla is advancing rapidly, people will be driving less so you need less buttons to interface with.”

He added it gives Tesla “the ability for us to consistently make the car better through the UI (User Interface) improvements and hard buttons kind of limit you on that because you’re stuck with them.”

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