What’s the difference between Autopilot and FSD?

 Here’s a clear breakdown of the difference between Tesla Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) — it’s one of the most common questions for Tesla owners or buyers:

---

1. Tesla Autopilot (Standard / Included)

• Type: Level 2 driver-assist.

• Cost: Comes standard with every Tesla.

• Main Features:

  1. Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC): Maintains speed and safe following distance.

  2. Autosteer: Helps keep the car centered in its lane on highways.

  3. Limited lane changes: Only works in certain conditions on highways.

• Limitations:

  • Only really designed for highway driving.

  • Requires hands on the wheel and driver supervision at all times.

  • Does not handle city streets, stop signs, or traffic lights automatically.

---

2. Full Self-Driving (FSD) (Optional / Extra Cost)

• Type: Level 2 driver-assist with more advanced features.

• Cost: ~$99/month subscription (U.S. & Canada) as of 2026; previously a one-time purchase ~$8,000 USD.

• Adds Features Beyond Autopilot:

  1. Navigate on Autopilot: On-ramp to off-ramp highway guidance with automatic lane changes and exits.

  2. City Street Driving (Beta): Can handle stop signs, traffic lights, and some urban turns (driver supervision required).

  3. Autopark & Smart Summon: Parallel/perpendicular parking and remote parking.

  4. Upcoming Features (as Tesla releases updates): Automated turns on city streets, more advanced obstacle handling.

• Limitations:

  • Still requires attentive supervision.

  • Performance varies by road type, markings, and conditions.

  • Not legally approved as fully autonomous anywhere in the world.

---

3. Quick Comparison Table

Feature	Autopilot	Full Self-Driving (FSD)
Level of automation	L2	L2 (more advanced)
Lane centering	✅	✅
Adaptive cruise control	✅	✅
Automatic lane changes	Limited	Yes, on highways
Highway navigation	Partial	Full (on-ramp to off-ramp)
City street driving	❌	Beta: stop signs, traffic lights, turns
Autopark / Summon	❌	✅
Driver supervision required	✅	✅
Cost	Standard	~$99/mo subscription (2026)

---

Bottom Line

• Autopilot = standard driver-assist, best for highways.

• FSD = optional upgrade with more automated capabilities, including city streets and parking, but still not fully autonomous.

---

If you want, I can make a visual diagram showing which features belong to Autopilot vs. FSD, so it’s instantly clear which is which. Do you want me to do that?