---
title: "Report: Tesla Autopilot “Far Less Competent” Than Human Driver"
description: "Consumer Reports found that the latest version of Tesla's Autopilot that allows its cars to change lanes automatically \"doesn’t work very well.\""
date: "2019-05-22"
modified: "2019-05-22"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-autopilot-less-competent"
categories:
  - "Advanced Transport"
  - "Tesla"
tags:
  - "autonomous"
  - "autopilot"
  - "tesla"
  - "the digest"
---

# Report: Tesla Autopilot “Far Less Competent” Than Human Driver

![Consumer Reports found that the latest version of Tesla's Autopilot that allows its cars to change lanes automatically "doesn’t work very well."](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/tesla-autopilot-less-competent.png>)
*\<em\>Image: Tesla/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Not Quite Human

In a [biting new report](<https://www.consumerreports.org/autonomous-driving/tesla-navigate-on-autopilot-automatic-lane-change-requires-significant-driver-intervention/>), product testing nonprofit *Consumer Reports* found that the latest version of Tesla's Autopilot is "far less competent" than a human motorist — and that its lane-changing functionality "doesn’t work very well and could create potential safety risks for drivers."

"It’s incredibly nearsighted," said Jake Fisher, *Consumer Reports*’ senior director of auto testing, in the report. "It doesn’t appear to react to brake lights or turn signals, it can’t anticipate what other drivers will do, and as a result, you constantly have to be one step ahead of it."

## Lane Change

Tesla's marketing strategy for its cars' artificial intelligence walks a delicate line. On one hand, CEO Elon Musk has promised that a comprehensive self-driving mode is [right around the corner](<https://futurism.com/elon-musk-full-self-driving-2020>). At the same time, Tesla has been [trying for years](<https://futurism.com/tesla-crash-confused-autonomous-autopilot>) to remind its drivers that "Autopilot" doesn't mean the same thing as "autonomous."

But *Consumer Reports* wasn't happy at all with how well the feature performed, complaining that it cut off other cars, didn't leave enough space, and "even passed other cars in ways that violate state laws."

**READ MORE:** [Tesla's Navigate on Autopilot Requires Significant Driver Intervention](<https://www.consumerreports.org/autonomous-driving/tesla-navigate-on-autopilot-automatic-lane-change-requires-significant-driver-intervention/>) \[*Consumer Reports*\]

**More on Autopilot:** *[Drunk Tesla Driver Relies on Autopilot, Gets Busted by Police](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/drunk-tesla-driver-autopilot>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)