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Tesla (Enhanced) Autopilot vs. Full Self-Driving: What’s the difference now?
Tesla has announced a 50% price reduction on Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability for existing Model S, Model X and Model 3 vehicles.
Interested buyers of Tesla’s semi-autonomous feature package can use a new one-click payment process to add Autopilot to an existing vehicle for $2,000 (originally $4,000 when purchased after vehicle delivery) and Full Self-Driving for $2,000, reduced from the original price of $5,000 when added after delivery. The announcement comes a day after Tesla launched its $35,000 Model 3, and drastically reduced the price of its flagship Model S and Model X vehicles.
Tesla explains in a new blog post, “All customers who bought a Tesla before yesterday’s price decrease will be able to buy the Autopilot or Full Self-Driving capability for half of what those features would normally cost after initial purchase.”
Though the announcement is a seemingly welcomed change, the Autopilot update has created some confusion among Tesla owners, prompting CEO Elon Musk to clarify over Twitter.
If you bought enhanced autopilot, FSD upgrade costs $2k instead of $5k
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 2, 2019
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Tesla Autopilot
On February 28, 2019, Tesla updated the details for its Autopilot suite that includes the replacement of “Enhanced Autopilot” with “Autopilot”, along with adjustments to pricing and features.
Taking a closer look at the details between Tesla’s original Enhanced Autopilot and what’s now being called Autopilot, and it’s evident that Tesla shifted some of the original features of Enhanced Autopilot to Full Self-Driving. However, Tesla also added two additional features to the Full Self-Driving Capability that will enable the vehicle to recognize and respond to traffic lights and stop signs, and perform automatic driving on city streets.
Autopilot Cost
The cost of Autopilot depends on several factors depending on the date a Model S, Model X or Model 3 was purchased and also if Autopilot was added at the time of vehicle purchase.
-->- Autopilot – $2,000 (this is the newly introduced 50% discount) when added to a vehicle that was purchased without Enhanced Autopilot. Vehicle must be purchased before February 28, 2019.
- Autopilot – $3,000 when added at the time of vehicle purchase. Vehicle must be purchased on February 28, 2019, or anytime thereafter.
- Autopilot – $4,000 when added to a vehicle after delivery. Vehicle must be purchased on February 28, 2019, or anytime thereafter.
Autopilot Features*
Auto Lane Change- Autosteer
- Traffic-Aware Cruise Control
AutoparkSummonNavigate on Autopilot
* The strikethroughs represents features that were originally part of Enhanced Autopilot but now moved to Full Self-Driving Capability.
Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) Capability, updated February 28, 2019
Autopilot Full Self-Driving Cost
The cost for Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature also varies depending on the date of vehicle purchase. FSD requires Autopilot.
- FSD – $2,000 (this is the newly introduced 50% discount) when added to any Model S, Model X, or Model 3 that was purchased with Enhanced Autopilot before February 28, 2019. Total cost of EAP ($5,000) + FSD ($2,000) = $7,000.
- FSD – $3,000 when added to any Model S, Model X, or Model 3 that was purchased without Enhanced Autopilot before February 28, 2019. Total cost of AP ($2,000) + FSD ($3,000) = $5,000.
- FSD – $5,000 when added at the time of vehicle purchase on February 28, 2019, or anytime thereafter. Total cost of AP ($3,000) + FSD ($5,000) = $8,000.
- FSD – $7,000 when added to a vehicle that was purchased on February 28, 2019, or anytime thereafter, and already delivered. Total cost of AP ($4,000) + FSD ($7,000) = $11,000.
FSD Features*
- Autopark: both parallel and perpendicular spaces.
- Navigate on Autopilot: automatic driving from highway on-ramp to off-ramp including interchanges and overtaking slower cars.
- (Advanced) Summon: “Your parked car will come find you anywhere in a parking lot. Really.”
- Coming later in 2019: Recognize and respond to traffic lights and stop signs.
- Coming later in 2019: Automatic driving on city streets.
Tesla’s online configurator, March 2019
Tesla explains the recent Autopilot update in its blog post, which we’ve provided below.
Upgrading to Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability
All customers who bought a Tesla before yesterday’s price decrease will be able to buy the Autopilot or Full Self-Driving capability for half of what those features would normally cost after initial purchase.
Autopilot, which enables automatic steering, accelerating and braking, normally costs $4,000 after delivery and Full Self-Driving normally costs $7,000 after delivery. Full Self-Driving capability includes Navigate on Autopilot, Advanced Summon, Auto Lane Change, Autopark and, later this year, will recognize and respond to traffic lights.
Any customer who bought a Tesla prior to this week’s price adjustment will be able to upgrade to Autopilot for $2,000 or Full Self-Driving capability for an additional $3,000. In other words, for a customer who previously hadn’t purchased Autopilot plus Full Self-Driving, they will soon be able to do so for $6,000 less than before. Customers who previously purchased Full Self-Driving will receive an invitation to Tesla’s Early Access Program (EAP). EAP members are invited to experience and provide feedback on new features and functionality before they are rolled out to other customers.
-->Beginning next month, any existing customer who wants to upgrade to Autopilot or Full Self-Driving capability will be able to do so with a one-click payment. There will be no need to call anyone, and it will be as easy as it was to order your car in the first place.
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Swedish union rep pissed that Tesla is working around a postal blockade they started
Tesla Sweden is now using dozens of private residences as a way to obtain license plates for its vehicles.
Two years into their postal blockade, Swedish unions are outraged that Tesla is still able to provide its customers’ vehicles with valid plates through various clever workarounds.
Seko chairman Gabriella Lavecchia called it “embarrassing” that the world’s largest EV maker, owned by CEO Elon Musk, refuses to simply roll over and accept the unions’ demands.
Unions shocked Tesla won’t just roll over and surrender
The postal unions’ blockade began in November 2023 when Seko and IF Metall-linked unions stopped all mail to Tesla sites to force a collective agreement. License plates for Tesla vehicles instantly became the perfect pressure point, as noted in a Dagens Arbete report.
Tesla responded by implementing initiatives to work around the blockades. A recent investigation from Arbetet revealed that Tesla Sweden is now using dozens of private residences, including one employee’s parents’ house in Trångsund and a customer-relations staffer’s home in Vårby, as a way to obtain license plates for its vehicles.
Seko chairman Gabriella Lavecchia is not pleased that Tesla Sweden is working around the unions’ efforts yet again. “It is embarrassing that one of the world’s largest car companies, owned by one of the world’s richest people, has sunk this low,” she told the outlet. “Unfortunately, it is completely frivolous that such a large company conducts business in this way.”
-->Two years on and plates are still being received
The Swedish Transport Agency has confirmed Tesla is still using several different workarounds to overcome the unions’ blockades.
As noted by DA, Tesla Sweden previously used different addresses to receive its license plates. At one point, the electric vehicle maker used addresses for car care shops. Tesla Sweden reportedly used this strategy in Östermalm in Stockholm, as well as in Norrköping and Gothenburg.
Another strategy that Tesla Sweden reportedly implemented involved replacement plates being ordered by private individuals when vehicles change hands from Tesla to car buyers. There have also been cases where the police have reportedly issued temporary plates to Tesla vehicles.
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Czech Deputy excited for Tesla FSD, hints at Transport Committee review
The ANO party lawmaker shared his thoughts about FSD in a post on social media platform X.
Martin Kolovratník, a Czech Republic Chamber of Deputies member, has expressed his excitement for Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) after an apparent constituent called for a quick approval for the advanced safety system.
The ANO party lawmaker, who drives both diesel and EV, shared his thoughts about the matter in a post on social media platform X.
The official’s initial statements
Kolovratník kicked off the exchange with a post outlining his coalition’s efforts to scrap highway toll exemptions for electric vehicles and plug-ins starting in 2027.
“Times have changed. Electric vehicles are no longer a fringe technology, but a full-fledged part of operations. And if someone uses the highway network, they should follow the same rules as everyone else. That’s the basis of fairness,” he wrote.
He emphasized equity over ideology, noting his personal mix of diesel and electric driving. “For this reason, there is no reason to continue favoring one technology at the expense of another… It’s not about ideology, it’s about equal conditions. That’s why we clearly agreed within the new coalition: the exemption for electric vehicles and plug-ins will end in 2027. The decision is predictable, understandable, and economically sound.”
-->Tesla FSD enthusiasm
The conversation pivoted to Tesla’s FSD when X user @robotinreallife, who seems to be one of the official’s constituents, replied that other matters are more important than ending highway exemptions for EVs.
“I’m happy to pay for the highway, but I have a question about a much more fundamental matter: The Netherlands will approve the operation of Tesla FSD in February 26, a technology that has been proven to reduce accidents. The Czech Republic has the option to immediately recognize this certification. Do you plan to support this step so that we don’t unnecessarily delay?” the X user asked.
Kolovratník responded promptly, sharing his own excitement for the upcoming rollout of FSD. “I know about it. I like it and it seems interesting to me. Once we set up the committees and subcommittees, we’ll open it right away in that transport one. Thanks for the tip, I’ll deliver the report,” the official noted in his reply on X.
Kolovratník’s nod to FSD hints at the system’s potentially smooth rollout to Czechia in the coming year. With the Netherlands possibly greenlighting FSD (Supervised) in early 2026, Kolovratník’s commitment could accelerate cross-border certification, boosting FSD’s foray into Europe by a notable margin.
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Tesla Model 3 named New Zealand’s best passenger car of 2025
Tesla flipped the switch on Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in September, turning every Model 3 and Model Y into New Zealand’s most advanced production car overnight.
The refreshed Tesla Model 3 has won the DRIVEN Car Guide AA Insurance NZ Car of the Year 2025 award in the Passenger Car category, beating all traditional and electric rivals.
Judges praised the all-electric sedan’s driving dynamics, value-packed EV tech, and the game-changing addition of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) that went live in New Zealand this September.
Why the Model 3 clinched the crown
DRIVEN admitted they were late to the “Highland” party because the updated sedan arrived in New Zealand as a 2024 model, just before the new Model Y stole the headlines. Yet two things forced a re-evaluation this year.
First, experiencing the new Model Y reminded testers how many big upgrades originated in the Model 3, such as the smoother ride, quieter cabin, ventilated seats, rear touchscreen, and stalk-less minimalist interior. Second, and far more importantly, Tesla flipped the switch on Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in September, turning every Model 3 and Model Y into New Zealand’s most advanced production car overnight.
FSD changes everything for Kiwi buyers
The publication called the entry-level rear-wheel-drive version “good to drive and represents a lot of EV technology for the money,” but highlighted that FSD elevates it into another league. “Make no mistake, despite the ‘Supervised’ bit in the name that requires you to remain ready to take control, it’s autonomous and very capable in some surprisingly tricky scenarios,” the review stated.
-->At NZ$11,400, FSD is far from cheap, but Tesla also offers FSD (Supervised) on a $159 monthly subscription, making the tech accessible without the full upfront investment. That’s a game-changer, as it allows users to access the company’s most advanced system without forking over a huge amount of money.
Swedish union rep pissed that Tesla is working around a postal blockade they started
Czech Deputy excited for Tesla FSD, hints at Transport Committee review
