Tesla’s Full Self-Driving is switching to a subscription-only service

Tesla will stop selling its $8,000 Full Self-Driving (FSD) option and make it strictly a monthly subscription service after February 14, CEO Elon Musk announced on his X platform. Musk didn’t reveal the price or why he’s making the switch, though FSD is already available by subscription for $99 per month or $999 per year.

The shift could be advantageous for buyers, particularly if they decide to dump their new Tesla or trade it in. It will also allow prospective owners to hedge their bets, as Tesla has overpromised on the feature since it was first announced.

Full Self-Driving has never done what the name suggests as humans must constantly supervise the system and frequently take control. Because of that, it’s more of a “driver assist” system and doesn’t even qualify as Level 3 self-driving (conditional automation), let alone as a truly autonomous Level 4 or Level 5 category. Musk has been touting self-driving capabilities on Tesla vehicles since 2015, promising at the time “complete autonomy” by 2018.

Branding for the system as “Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving” has been called out as false advertising by consumer watchdogs and government for years, but so far, regulators have yet to take action. A California judge recently ruled that Tesla used “deceptive language to market Autopilot and recommended suspending Tesla’s sales in the state for 30 days. However, the company has 90 days to comply and could still avoid punishment.