Starting February 14, Tesla will transition its $8,000 Full Self-Driving option to a monthly subscription model, as announced by CEO Elon Musk on his X platform. The subscription will be available for $99 per month or $999 per year, although Musk did not disclose the reasoning behind this change.
This shift could benefit customers looking to sell or trade in their Tesla vehicles, offering them flexibility regarding the Full Self-Driving feature. The decision comes amid ongoing criticism of the FSD branding, which has been challenged for not delivering true autonomous driving capabilities.
Despite being marketed as "Full Self-Driving," the system still requires human supervision, preventing it from qualifying as a Level 3 self-driving technology. Consumer watchdogs have criticized Tesla for perceived false advertising, and a recent California court ruling suggested the company used "deceptive language" in its promotions. Tesla has been given 90 days to address compliance issues following the ruling.