Tesla's Full Self-Driving Costs as Much Per Month as Leasing an Entire Car

Despite the name, the feature still does "not make the vehicle autonomous."

Full Self-Driving Subscription

Tesla has officially launched a subscription for its "Full Self-Driving" (FSD) software suite — and it's not cheap.

The add-on feature allows Teslas to change lanes, navigate complex traffic intersections, and be summoned from a distance.

Previously, the feature could only be enabled for a one-time fee of $10,000. Now, Tesla is offering the same package for a cool $199 per month as well, Reuters reports — or $99 for Tesla owners who already bought into the now-discontinued Enhanced Autopilot package.

That's a substantial amount of money — about as much as you'd pay on a used car lease, in fact — especially considering the fact that the feature still won't allow Teslas to fully drive themselves, as the name suggests.

Attentive Drivers

While Level 5 autonomy — meaning a truly self-driving car — is on Tesla's roadmap, according to Electrek, drivers still have to be ready to jump into action at a moment's notice even when the system is engaged.

While announcing the new subscription service, Tesla reiterated that the features "do not make the vehicle autonomous," adding they "require a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel."

Tesla vehicles will need to be equipped with the Full Self-Driving computer 3.0 or above. The cost to upgrade the hardware is $1,500.

While it's a substantial step up from previous iterations of self-driving software, a future in which we are able to sit back and watch Netflix is still many years out — and it may remain a pricey option as well.

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