Tesla first publicly showed it was testing Full Self-Driving (FSD) on Australian roads in May, and followed that with a media preview of the semi-autonomous driving technology last month.
Now it’s available to Australian customers for the first time, with an update to the relevant Tesla vehicles – those running its hardware four (HW4) cameras – unlocking the hands-off driving system.
FSD – technically marketed as Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in Australia –allows the car to effectively drive without human input – however, the driver must be ready to take over at all times.
By classifying Full Self-Driving Supervised as a ‘Level 2’ semi-autonomous driving system, the vehicle’s driver is still deemed as the one in control, not the car itself, providing a legal loophole which puts the onus on the human in the driver’s seat.
Customers have been able to purchase FSD locally for the past handful of years, with prices as high as $12,000 listed for the technology, though recently it has been priced from $10,100. A monthly subscription service will launch in the future, priced at $149.
Initially available in the US as a beta service to a select group of 160,000 users who gathered real-time data for Tesla, the technology became publicly available in late November 2022 to all vehicles capable of running it.
At the time, it was not approved by US road safety regulators to be used unsupervised.
Tesla also recently came under fire for its early limited roll-out of FSD Supervised in Australia, after the ABC’s 7:30 program found that the May test wasn’t approved by the Victorian Government, as Tesla reportedly did not seek a relevant permit “to ensure that on-road trials are conducted safely”, as required by the state’s autonomous vehicle laws.
In Queensland, where the media launch of FSD Supervised was held, a government spokesperson told 7:30 “there was no requirement for Tesla to apply for a permit”, however local laws require drivers to “keep at least one hand on the steering wheel”.
Tesla continues to offer its free, pre-installed Autopilot system in Australia, providing common features such as adaptive cruise control and lane-change assistance.
FSD (Supervised) testing in Melbourne, Australia
And yes, that’s a hook turn pic.twitter.com/tjakHvRohP
— Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) May 16, 2025
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