How Much Battery Does Sentry Mode Use? Hourly & Daily Drain

November 16, 2025 by Sentry Pro Team

Last updated on October 21, 2026

Quick answer

Tesla doesn’t publish a power figure for Sentry Mode. Independent measurements and owner logs mostly fall between about 130 W and 250 W on average, which works out to roughly 3–6 kWh per day if Sentry runs 24 hours. What that means as a percentage depends on the size of your battery. As an example, 225 W (the average in Enhauto’s overnight test) is 5.4 kWh per day: about 9% of a 60 kWh pack, or about 7% of a 75 kWh pack.

Sentry Mode drain per hour, overnight, and per day

These rows are illustrative calculations, not measurements. They take three average draws (watts) and turn them into energy using watts × hours = watt-hours. 130 W and 225 W are the low and middle of the sourced data below. 300 W is the high end of figures that are often cited but come without a published method.

Average draw	kWh per hour	kWh overnight (12 h)	kWh per day (24 h)
130 W	0.13	1.56	3.12
225 W	0.225	2.7	5.4
300 W	0.30	3.6	7.2

To turn energy into battery percentage, divide by usable capacity. The two pack sizes below are round, illustrative assumptions for a smaller (standard-range, LFP-class) battery and a larger (Long Range-class) one. They aren’t specifications for any particular car, so check your own vehicle’s usable capacity.

Average draw	% per hour (60 kWh)	% per day (60 kWh)	% per hour (75 kWh)	% per day (75 kWh)	Days from 80% to 20%, Sentry only (60 / 75 kWh)
130 W	0.22%	5.2%	0.17%	4.2%	~11.5 / ~14.4
225 W	0.38%	9.0%	0.30%	7.2%	~6.7 / ~8.3
300 W	0.50%	12.0%	0.40%	9.6%	~5.0 / ~6.3

The last column covers Sentry’s draw alone, from 80% down to the default 20% Low Power Mode threshold (60% of the pack). Your car’s other parked losses come on top, so in practice you’ll get less time than this.

Note that “1–2% per hour”, a figure that circulates widely, would mean 24–48% per day. That is far above any measurement we found.

What the evidence actually says

Measured tests

Enhauto, May 2025 (source): Model 3 Highland with an LFP battery, parked on a street overnight for 12 hours. Hardware and firmware weren’t stated, and neither was the outside temperature. Battery readouts from the car’s BMS went from 36% to 31%, or 22.3 to 19.6 kWh = 2.7 kWh in 12 hours. That’s 2,700 Wh ÷ 12 h = ~225 W average. It was a single run, published by an accessory vendor.
EVchargerReviews, December 2022 (source): Model Y on firmware 2022.44.2, in an underground garage, with Camera-Based Detection off. The battery went from 82% to 75% after 24 hours and to 68% after 48 hours, so ~7% per day. The author reports a similar 7–8% per day with camera detection on, and concluded the two settings used about the same energy. Readings came from the app’s percentage display, so they’re coarse.

Owner reports (weaker evidence)

Teslamotorsclub thread, 2025: an owner comparing a 2023 Model 3 (HW3) with a 2024 Model Y (HW4), both on firmware 2025.8.7, reported about 130 W versus about 220 W, with spikes around 220 W while an event was being saved. We could only see a search snippet, not the full thread, so treat this as a weak signal.
teskas.net owner log, Japan, Oct 2024–Jan 2025: 10-hour workday parks logged about 1.8–2.5 kWh (roughly 176–253 W). Some of those runs included preconditioning, and the units in the post are ambiguous.
YouTuber “Tesla Joy”, reported by Supercar Blondie: a Model 3 lost 7% in 24 hours with camera detection off and 9% with full Sentry. This contradicts the EVchargerReviews result above. Both are single-car, app-percentage tests.

Commonly cited figures without a method

You’ll often see “250–300 W”, “about 1 mile of range per hour” and “up to 7.2 kWh a day” (for example in Not a Tesla App’s reference article, and in owner accounts quoted by Electrek in 2024). 7.2 kWh in 24 hours is 300 W. No test conditions are published for these, so we treat them as a plausible upper range, not a typical value.

What changes the number

Hardware. The only HW3 vs HW4 comparison we found is the owner report above, which showed HW4 drawing more. From software 2025.14, HW4 cars also record the B-pillar side cameras in Sentry and Dashcam clips (release notes via Not a Tesla App). We haven’t found a measurement showing how much power that adds.
Firmware. In February 2024, Tesla executive Drew Baglino said the team was working to cut Sentry Mode power use by about 40% (Electrek). The 2024.38.4 release notes mention reduced Sentry Mode energy use for Cybertruck (notes). We found no official note extending that to Model 3/Y, and no independent before-and-after test that confirms 40%.
Temperature. Cold generally increases parked losses because the battery is kept within its temperature range, and Tesla’s manual notes that “in cold weather, available energy may drop more quickly.” We know of no controlled test that isolates how much extra Sentry uses, and the owner logs above are mixed.
Model and pack. The same watts cost a smaller percentage of a bigger battery. Percentages from different cars aren’t directly comparable, so compare kWh or watts instead.
Test conditions. A busy street that keeps triggering recordings is not the same as a quiet garage. Other loads also get mixed in, such as climate, Cabin Overheat Protection and app wake-ups. Short tests read from whole-percent displays can be off by a full percentage point.

How to measure Sentry Mode drain on your own car

Your own number is more useful than any average. Tesla’s Energy app has a Park view that shows energy used while parked “Since Last Drive” or “Since Last Charge”. You can use it alongside the steps below.

Note your state of charge when you park. Write down the percentage and the time. If you have a tool that shows kWh remaining, note that too.
Remove other loads. Turn off Cabin Overheat Protection and any climate keep-on settings. Don’t open the Tesla app or live camera during the test. Pause any third-party app that polls the car, because each wake-up keeps the car from sleeping and adds drain that isn’t Sentry’s.
Leave the car with only Sentry Mode on for a long window: 12–24 hours or more. A longer window reduces rounding error from whole-percent displays.
Read the state of charge again and subtract to get the percentage-point drop.
Convert to kWh by multiplying the drop by your usable capacity: kWh = (drop ÷ 100) × usable kWh.
Convert to average watts with W = kWh × 1,000 ÷ hours.
Repeat with Sentry Mode off in the same spot and for the same duration. The difference between the two runs is Sentry’s share. The Sentry-off run is your car’s baseline parked loss.

Worked example (Enhauto’s numbers): the BMS showed 22.3 kWh at the start and 19.6 kWh after 12 hours. 22.3 − 19.6 = 2.7 kWh. 2.7 × 1,000 ÷ 12 = 225 W.

If you only have the percentage (36% → 31%, a 5-point drop) and you assume a 60 kWh usable pack, you get 0.05 × 60 = 3.0 kWh. That’s 3.0 × 1,000 ÷ 12 = 250 W. The 25 W gap shows how much whole-percent rounding and a guessed capacity matter. Over 12 hours, one percentage point on a 60 kWh pack (0.6 kWh) shifts the result by 50 W, which is why longer tests are better.

Low Power Mode and the 20% rule

Older behavior. Tesla’s US Model 3 manual from April 2025 said: “Sentry Mode requires your Battery to be at least 20% charged. If the Battery falls below 20%, Sentry Mode turns off and the mobile app sends you a notification.” (archived manual page)

Current behavior. Low Power Mode arrived with software 2025.32 in August 2025 (release notes). Current manuals no longer give a fixed 20% for Sentry. Instead they say “Sentry Mode is not available in Low Power Mode”, and if the car enters Low Power Mode, Sentry turns off and the app sends a notification (Tesla Owner’s Manual, Sentry Mode; we checked the Cybertruck US manual for software 2026.20 and the Model 3/Y manuals for 2026.26).

Where to find it: Controls > Charging > Low Power Mode.
When it turns on: automatically at a percentage you choose between 10% and 20% (default 20%), or manually at any time.
What it disables: Sentry Mode, Keep Accessory Power On, Summon Standby, Keep Climate On and Camp, Cabin Overheat Protection, and Preconditioning.

So the default cutoff is still 20%, but you can lower it to 10%. If you turn Low Power Mode on manually for long-term parking, it also turns Sentry off, whatever your charge level.

Reported, not documented: on 2025.14.x software, Sentry reportedly turns itself back on when the car is plugged in after a low-battery shutoff (Not a Tesla App lists this as an undocumented change).

If Sentry keeps switching off for other reasons, see why Sentry Mode keeps turning off.

How to reduce Sentry Mode battery drain

Every saving below costs some protection. Match each one to where you actually park.

Location exclusions. Under Controls > Safety > Sentry Mode, turn on Exclude Home, Exclude Work or Exclude Favorites. These work within about 500 m (1,640 ft) of the saved place. If you turn Sentry on or off by hand, that overrides the exclusions until your next drive. Tradeoff: a driveway or open work lot inside that radius is no longer watched.
Scheduling. Tesla has no built-in Sentry schedule. Sentry Pro’s scheduled Sentry Mode turns Sentry on and off at set times, so you can switch it off, for example, overnight in a secure garage. Saving 10 of 24 hours saves 10/24 of the daily cost: at 225 W, that’s 2.25 kWh a day. Tradeoff: nothing is recorded during the off hours, wherever the car happens to be.
Turn off Cabin Overheat Protection. It’s a separate load that can run while you’re parked in the heat. Tradeoff: a hotter cabin, which matters if you leave heat-sensitive items in the car.
Avoid apps that poll the car. Opening the Tesla app or live camera, and third-party apps that request data, all wake the car. Tradeoff: you’ll check on the car less often, so rely on push alerts instead.
Plug in. When the car is on a charger, charging covers Sentry’s draw. A standard 120 V outlet at 12 A is about 1.4 kW (an illustrative figure), several times Sentry’s typical draw. Tradeoff: none for security, but you need a socket or charger.
Park in a garage. A secure garage usually lets you turn Sentry off entirely, and it softens cold-weather losses. Tradeoff: you lose a record of anything that happens in a shared garage.
Camera-Based Detection off (Controls > Safety > Sentry Mode > Camera-Based Detection). With it off, the car only saves clips for physical threats. The evidence that this saves power is mixed (see above). Tradeoff: you won’t get clips of people walking past or lingering near the car.

Where Sentry Pro fits

Sentry Pro doesn’t make Sentry Mode use less power. What it changes is how you use Sentry:

Push alerts for the Sentry events your car reports, not just alarms. The Tesla app only notifies you for alarms, door or trunk attempts, and sudden motion. Alerts usually arrive within seconds. Sentry Pro can only report what the car’s Sentry system detects, so it can’t promise to catch every incident.
Scheduled Sentry Mode runs on Sentry Pro’s servers, so it works even when your phone is off.
iOS Critical Alerts, Apple Watch and Android support, an event history, and an optional automatic honk-and-flash deterrent.
No extra polling: Sentry Pro gets its data through Tesla Fleet Telemetry and doesn’t wake the car. It needs no Premium Connectivity. There’s no in-app video, so tapping an alert opens the Tesla app.

A brief history of Sentry power changes

2019: Sentry launched; Electrek reported it required more than 20% charge.
Feb 2024: Tesla’s Drew Baglino promised a cut of about 40%. This hasn’t been independently verified.
Oct 2024 (2024.38.4): Cybertruck-only release notes cite lower Sentry energy use.
Spring 2025 (2025.14): HW4 cars began recording the B-pillar cameras. A reported, undocumented change re-enables Sentry when the car is plugged in.
Aug 2025 (2025.32): Low Power Mode replaced the fixed 20% cutoff with a 10–20% threshold you choose.

For setup, camera and USB requirements, see our complete Sentry Mode guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Sentry Mode drain the battery?

Yes. Sentry Mode keeps the car's computer and cameras awake, so the car can't go to sleep. Tesla's manual only says power consumption "may increase" and gives no number. Independent tests and owner logs mostly land between about 130 W and 250 W, which is roughly 3–6 kWh per day if Sentry runs around the clock.

How much battery does Sentry Mode use overnight?

In Enhauto's measured test, a Model 3 Highland (LFP) parked on a street overnight used 2.7 kWh over 12 hours, going from 36% to 31%. That works out to about 225 W on average. Across the 130–250 W range, a 12-hour night costs roughly 1.6–3 kWh, or about 2–5% of a 60–75 kWh battery.

Does Sentry Mode turn off at 20%?

On older software, yes: the manual said Sentry needs at least 20% charge. Current manuals tie it to Low Power Mode instead. Sentry turns off when the car enters Low Power Mode, which starts automatically at a level you choose between 10% and 20% (20% by default), or whenever you turn it on manually. The Tesla app notifies you when this happens.

Does Sentry Mode use more power in cold weather?

Cold weather generally means more energy lost while parked, because the battery has to be kept within its temperature range. Tesla's manual also warns that available energy may drop more quickly in cold weather. We haven't found a controlled test that isolates how much extra Sentry Mode uses in the cold, so measure your own car in both seasons.

Does Sentry Pro add to Sentry Mode battery drain?

Sentry Pro doesn't wake the car and doesn't poll it. It receives data that the car pushes over Tesla Fleet Telemetry while it's already awake, so it adds no meaningful drain on top of Sentry Mode itself. Its schedule feature sends one command to turn Sentry on and one to turn it off.