My Model YL has no instrument cluster behind the steering wheel. Speed, battery level, all of it lives on the centre screen.
There are plenty of AliExpress dashboard display units you can add behind the wheel, and I looked at five of them before buying.
The one I actually fitted is the 10.88-inch Carbar. Below is what these displays can do, and how the five I compared differ.
What a dashboard display can do
I haven’t had mine long, so this section sticks to what the manual and the product pages say.
Speed and battery level behind the wheel
The manual says it syncs vehicle data in real time: speed, lights, gear, tyre pressure, battery level, among others.
The one I fitted showed speed, battery level, range and door status.
You can check your speed behind the wheel without moving your eyes over to the centre screen.
The sides light up when a car is in your blind spot
This is the blind-spot monitoring feature.
According to the manual, the left or right edge of the display glows yellow when a car is in that blind spot, then turns red if you indicate while it is still there.
When changing lanes, the Model YL already zooms out the view on the centre screen to show the cars around you. This display instead warns you with a light behind the wheel.
I wrote about that zoom-out behaviour in this post.
Mirroring your phone screen
You connect the display to your phone’s hotspot over Wi-Fi, then mirror the phone screen onto it.
iPhones use AirPlay. Android phones use Miracast.
Five AliExpress dashboard display options I compared
The product descriptions are mostly images, so I compared them based on what the listing titles and the order details say. Prices are the sale prices I saw in Japan on 13 September 2026. AliExpress prices vary by country, so treat them as a rough guide.
| Product | Screen | CarPlay | Blind-spot alert | Air vent | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbar (the one I bought) | 10.88 in | Yes | In the manual | In the manual | ¥55,614 (approx. $371) |
| SATONIC | 10.88 in | Yes | — | Yes | ¥44,763 (approx. $298) |
| VJOYCAR | 9.66 in | — | — | Yes | ¥36,535 (approx. $244) |
| 2nd gen 9.6-inch | 9.6 in | — | Yes | — | ¥37,046 (approx. $247) |
| Gen.3 9.66-inch | 9.66 in | — | — | Yes | ¥36,051 (approx. $240) |
“Yes” means it is in the listing title. A dash means the title doesn’t mention it, which doesn’t necessarily mean the feature is missing.
The 2nd gen 9.6-inch has the most sales: 800+ sold, 113 reviews. VJOYCAR follows with 263 sold, 39 reviews. Carbar, SATONIC, Gen.3 have each sold somewhere in the tens to twenties. Neither SATONIC nor Gen.3 has any reviews yet.
Screen sizes: 9.6-inch class vs 10.88-inch
Three are in the 9.6-inch class, two are 10.88-inch.
The two 10.88-inch units cost more, as you would expect from the bigger screen.
Two list CarPlay and Android Auto in the title
Carbar’s title includes CarPlay, Android Auto, HiCar. SATONIC’s includes CarPlay.
VJOYCAR doesn’t say so in the title, but one review mentioned Android Auto connecting automatically.
Blind-spot alerts and the air vent
The 2nd gen 9.6-inch has a blind spot reminder in its title. Carbar’s manual also shows a blind-spot display.
There is an air vent behind the steering wheel, so I also checked whether each display keeps it clear.
VJOYCAR and Gen.3 say they come with an air outlet, while SATONIC mentions a large air vent. Carbar’s manual shows how to line up the vent on the display with the car’s own vent, and how to adjust the airflow direction.
Which ones offer a front camera option
Four of them let you choose a version with a front camera: Carbar, VJOYCAR, the 2nd gen 9.6-inch, Gen.3. I couldn’t find that option on SATONIC’s YL version.
I bought the Carbar when a coupon cut the price
I ordered on 17 August 2026.
Carbar’s 10.88-inch unit, with CarPlay and Android Auto in the title, happened to be heavily discounted with a coupon. I paid ¥36,626 (approx. $245 USD).
When I checked on 13 September it was ¥55,614, which puts it nearly ¥20,000 (approx. $130) above the 9.6-inch class units right now.
The install has its own post: how I installed the dashboard display in my Model YL.
I can’t offer a link for the Carbar at the moment, so here are the other four I compared.
Summary
I compared five AliExpress dashboard display units you can add to a Model YL.
- Screens: three in the 9.6-inch class, two at 10.88 inches
- CarPlay appears in the title of both 10.88-inch units
- A blind-spot alert is in the title of the 2nd gen 9.6-inch; Carbar lists it in the manual
- Every one except SATONIC offers a front camera version
Prices swing a lot with sales and coupons, so if one catches your eye, it may be worth watching it for a few days.
If I find anything worth sharing about day-to-day use, I’ll write it up. For the car itself, Tesla’s Model Y page is the official reference.
This article is also available in Japanese.
