Tesla is now offering existing owners in Australia the option to transfer their previously purchased Full Self-Driving (FSD) package to a new Model 3 or Model Y delivered before March 31, 2024. Prior to this offer the FSD package would remain with the car if sold privately or traded in with Tesla.
This limited time offer from Tesla is also currently available in overseas markets such as the US and Canada and is designed to boost demand by enticing potential customers to place new orders before the end of the quarter. Tesla has previously offered FSD transfers in the US but not in Australia before.
Tesla is also offering $1,500 discounts to order holders of the Cybertruck in Australia if they buy one a Model 3 or Model Y before the end of the quarter.
Tesla has consistently topped the electric vehicle sales charts in Australia since the Model 3 launched in 2019. However, BYD outsold Tesla in January after delivering 1,310 vehicles for the month versus only 1,107 from Tesla.Â
January figures for Tesla were down by 66% compared to the previous month due to a large shipment of Model Y vehicles being sent back to China after discovery of an infestation of stink bugs. Deliveries of the Model 3 refresh were also paused for a few weeks while Tesla addressed a compliance issue with access to rear child seat anchor points.
Sales figures for Tesla are expected to rebound now that both of these issues have been resolved. The rivalry between BYD and Tesla will continue though, as BYD ramps up deliveries of their Seal sedan and Dolphin hatchback. BYD is also trying to boost demand for the Atto 3 SUV with a discount of $2,023 for remaining stock of 2023 vehicles.
Autopilot vs Full Self-Driving
All Tesla vehicles now include basic Autopilot, which is a level 2 advanced driver assistance system combining adaptive cruise control and autosteer, otherwise known as lane centering. Level 2 autonomy means the driver must keep their hands on the wheel and pay attention to the road at all times.
Enhanced Autopilot costs $5,100 and adds several features to Autopilot – Navigate on Autopilot, Auto Lane Change, Autopark, Summon and Smart Summon. The Tesla support page on Autopilot and Full Self-Driving describes these features in more detail.
The Full Self-Driving package costs $10,100 and is available either when you purchase a vehicle from Tesla or as an over-the-air software upgrade. FSD only adds a single feature at the moment, Traffic and Stop Sign Control (Beta) which detects and stops at red lights and stop signs. Autosteer on city streets is listed on Tesla’s website as upcoming.
Tesla first released FSD Beta in the US in October 2020 but the features have not launched outside North America yet. Rumours surfaced almost a year ago that Tesla was starting to test FSD Beta here, although there has been no further news of an Australian release since.
Would I recommend Full Self-Driving?
In a word, no. I was fooled by the early hype surrounding FSD and Elon’s promises that the price would increase over time as more features were added. I regret purchasing FSD for my Model 3 a month after taking delivery in 2019, it cost me $8,500. The price has only risen $1,600 in over four years so the price rises did not turn out to be true.
Of all the features available in Enhanced Autopilot and FSD, Auto Lane Change is the only one I regularly use. Autopark is too clunky and slow, with excellent cameras it is much quicker and easier just to park the car yourself. I have used Summon a handful of times although it is mainly a party trick for showing off.
I recently disabled the only FSD feature, Traffic and Stop Sign Control, because I found it caused phantom braking when the car detected traffic lights that don’t exist. This was especially bad driving through tunnels where the car would start to slow down at regular intervals before correcting itself and speeding up again. Once I disabled this feature, phantom braking events occur much less frequently.
If Tesla were offering refunds for the FSD package, or even partial refunds with a downgrade to Enhanced Autopilot I would gladly accept one. At least one person in the UK successfully challenged Tesla in court and was awarded a refund with interest, although Tesla is unlikely to start offering refunds to anyone who asks. It doesn’t hurt to ask though.
Tim has 20 years experience in the IT industry including 14 years as a network engineer and site reliability engineer at Google Australia. He is an EV and renewable energy enthusiast who is most passionate about helping people understand and adopt these technologies.