Tesla keys: Key Card, Phone Key and the fob — the 19-key limit, pairing and losing all keys

The three key types

• Key Card — an NFC card. Tapped against the reader on the pillar/console. Needs no battery, lives in a wallet; it's also the "key of last resort" when your phone dies.
• Phone Key — a smartphone over Bluetooth Low Energy: the car recognizes it on approach, unlocks and is ready to drive with no action needed.
• Key Fob — a fob: locks, trunk, Summon. Standard for Model S/X; an optional accessory for Model 3/Y.

Up to 19 identifiers in any combination can be paired to one car (tsk.by breakdown). A driver profile is tied to a specific key — mirrors, seat, climate, speed limit: handy for a family and for a valet-style mode.

How pairing works

Your own keys are added from the car's screen as long as a working key is present. A shop pairing (for example, when no working keys are left or you need a fob) goes through the diagnostic port directly with the immobilizer: the key's cryptographic data is written into the car's memory and the key is registered in the system. The same channel is used to delete lost or compromised keys. A standard single-key pairing takes 20–40 min.

ALL keys lost

An unpleasant scenario, but a solvable one: access is restored with immobilizer reprogramming and mandatory verification of ownership (the car's documents). Time-wise — up to 2 hours.

Minsk reference, BYN (one shop's numbers, not the market): key card pairing — from 100 BYN, a fob — from 150 BYN, recovery after a total loss — from 300 BYN.

After buying used — the mandatory step

Delete all foreign keys from the immobilizer and pair your own. As long as the previous owner's cards and phones hang on the list, they keep physical access to the car. In parallel, make sure the car is detached from someone else's Tesla account. We also keep this item in the used Tesla buying checklist.

Links

• Tesla key pairing — tsk.by: https://tsk.by/uslugi/privyazka-klyuchej/