Don't want to pay $10,100 outright for Tesla's most advanced semi-autonomous driving software? It's now available as a subscription, but still, only a third of the brand's cars on local roads can use it.
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Tesla's flagship driver-assistance technology – Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised, capable of navigating to a destination with human supervision but little input – is now available to purchase in Australia through a subscription.
Priced at $149 per month, it would take Tesla customers more than five and a half years before they would have been better off spending the $10,100 currently charged for the technology outright.
As with the outright purchase, use of Full Self-Driving Supervised is initially limited to newer Tesla vehicles with higher-quality 'Hardware 4' cameras, covering Model 3s built since its 'facelift' in September 2023, and Model Y SUVs produced since late January 2024.
Owners of older 'Hardware 3' Teslas can also purchase the $149/month subscription, it is understood, even though the software remains locked, and is not available for use in these vehicles on local roads.
Many of these customers have paid up to $12,000 – before inflation – for Tesla FSD since it went on sale locally in 2017, with the promise that it will one day become available for road use.
It is estimated that only a third of Tesla vehicles on Australian roads – about 50,000 of the circa-150,000 examples sold – are equipped with Hardware 4.
Customers who have previously purchased the $5100 Enhanced Autopilot option can access a discounted FSD subscription, priced at $75 per month in Australia. The subscriptions are available via the Upgrades section of the Tesla phone app.
Australia and New Zealand are the first right-hand-drive markets to offer FSD, joining an elite club around the world that includes the US, Canada and China.
Despite its name, Full Self-Driving Supervised does not make the car fully autonomous, and still requires the human behind the wheel to pay attention to the road ahead, ready to take over at any time.
This, together with the fact the driver remains legally in control of the car in the event of a crash, allows the technology to be legal for use on Australian roads without special government permits.
However, Full Self-Driving Supervised does not necessarily beep at the driver if they take their hands off the steering wheel, as long as they continue to watch the road, regulated by an in-car camera watching their eyes.
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Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
