Tesla Updates Its Driver-Assist Offerings
Following the announcement that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system would be offered exclusively via a monthly subscription, the EV maker discontinued Autopilot in the U.S., leaving Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC) as the sole standard advanced driver assistance feature.
Autopilot previously bundled TACC and Autosteer. It is a separate system from the suite of active safety features, which include Automatic Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Monitoring, and Lane Departure Avoidance.
Meanwhile, Full Self-Driving (FSD) builds upon Autopilot by allowing the system to assist most driving tasks under certain conditions. However, it is worth noting that FSD remains a Level 2 SAE driver-assistance system, placing it in the same category as Toyota’s Teammate, which, despite the controversial “Full Self-Driving” naming, still requires the driver’s full attention at all times.
FSD Becomes More Central
The likely reason behind this decision is to encourage Tesla owners to opt for the FSD subscription, priced at $99 per month, with the one-time $8,000 purchase option ending on February 14. Both General Motors and Ford offer their own advanced driver-assistance systems on a subscription basis, though the latter continues to provide customers with a one-time purchase option.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote on X that the $99-per-month subscription price will increase as FSD’s capabilities improve over time. Broader adoption could accelerate that progress, as greater usage would provide the automaker with more real-world driving data to help further refine the system. Musk added that any future price increase would coincide with capabilities such as allowing occupants to text while driving or sleep for the duration of a trip – behaviors that would not be lawful under current SAE Level 2 autonomy rules.
I should also mention that the $99/month for supervised FSD will rise as FSD’s capabilities improve.
The massive value jump is when you can be on your phone or sleeping for the entire ride (unsupervised FSD). https://t.co/YDKhXN3aaG
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 23, 2026
Safety Promises Under Review
Whether these future changes will lead to measurable improvements in road safety remains to be seen. But the company’s track record of ongoing criticism, including a Florida jury verdict awarding $200 million in punitive damages in an Autopilot-related crash, does little to strengthen its case. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has even launched an investigation into FSD following crashes and consumer complaints.
Beyond FSD, Tesla is developing a fully autonomous system for its robotaxi program through the Cybercab, unveiled at the “We, Robot” event in 2024. The Cybercab is planned to be produced without a steering wheel or pedals and will feature a two-seat cabin, positioning it to rival robotaxi operators such as Waymo.
