For the past two weeks, Tesla owners have been taking advantage of free access to the automaker’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) features. Reactions to the feature's current capabilities have been mixed, especially for the price. Since the trial period began, Elon Musk has been regularly reacting and responding to feedback from owners.
One post in particular turned out to be quite prophetic.
Just 24 hours after Elon liked this post by X user Yashu Sharma, Tesla announced a price drop from $199 to $99 for the month-to-month FSD subscription.
For drivers who previously balked at the original $199 monthly fee, this could completely alter the value proposition. This 50% price drop only applies to the subscription, however. Purchasing FSD outright is still priced at $12,000 currently.
The price drop brings FSD pricing more in line with offerings from other automakers. Even though Autopilot is the most feature-rich of the bunch, it is also the most expensive.
GM's Super Cruise costs $2,200 at the time of purchase ($2,500 for Cadillacs) with a three-year subscription included. After the first three years, a subscription costs only $25 a month. Ford's BlueCruise currently has a few pricing options: $75 a month, $800 a year and $2,100 for 3 years.
Super Cruise was rated as the best driver-assist option by Edmunds last year. Consumer Reports rated BlueCruise as their top pick with Super Cruise coming in second. So both systems are quite capable and stand out for being truly hands-free, unlike Tesla's FSD.
However, they only operate on mapped highways, whereas Tesla's system functions on city streets as well.
| Driver Assist | 3-Year Cost | 6-Year Cost | Hands-Free | Capabilities |
| Tesla Full Self-Driving Supervised | $3,564 | $7,128 | No | Highways and City Streets |
| GM Super Cruise | $2,200 Chevrolet $2,500 Cadillac | $3,100 Chevrolet $3,400 Cadillac | Yes | Highways Only |
| Ford BlueCruise | $2,100 | $4,200 | Yes | Highways Only |
Other options like Volvo Pilot Assist and Hyundai's Highway Driving Assist 2 (HDA2) are included in specific vehicle trim levels. Hyundai includes HDA2 in the SEL and Limited trim levels. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 costs $1,500 to upgrade from the SE to the SEL trim.
The Volvo XC40 Recharge includes Pilot Assist in the Ultimate trim which is a $3,400 upgrade from the Plus. However, this package includes several other desirable upgrades besides Pilot Assist.
Like Tesla, The Hyundai and Volvo systems require a hand on the wheel at all times. They are also limited to highways like Super Cruise and BlueCruise.
Now that Tesla has given drivers a taste of FSD's capabilities and dropped the price, a lot more drivers might decide it's finally worth the subscription. Do you think the new pricing structure is a good value? Let us know in the comments below.
Gallery: 2024 Tesla Model 3 (Highland)
