Tesla's FSD Beta Gets Its Second Price Increase This Year

Photo: Tesla

No matter what anyone tells you, Tesla’s cars are incapable of driving themselves. Despite this, the company charges $12,000 for a “Full Self Driving” feature that, at least according to the state of California, cannot do what it says on the tin — and according to Tesla itself, never will. But the company has a solution to these woes, a way to improve its FSD beta: Raising the price.

01:50

BAD_How the 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor Drives On-Road and Off

Friday 6:42PM

As of September 5, the cost of adding FSD beta software will jump from $12,000 to $15,000. The price increase is timed to coincide with an update to the software, one that promises to “make every Autopilot drive as good as someone driving their own commute” and “control for slow-moving UFOs.” It’s unclear exactly what effect airborne alien technology is expected to have on terrestrial ground vehicles, but at least your Tesla will know to watch out. Maybe it’s a death laser fireball escape mode.

This price hike comes after another increase earlier this year, which brought the software’s cost from $10,000 to $12,000. The company regularly raises prices for FSD, which launched as a $5,000 option, claiming that these increases make the cars “appreciating assets.” The justification for this appears to be the idea that FSD gets more capable over time, making the car more valuable — assuming, of course, that Tesla lets the next owner keep the software.

Buyers interested in purchasing the FSD beta have until September 5 to place their orders and lock in the current, lower price. Of course, in our chip shortage world, orders and deliveries align with decreasing frequency, and Tesla allows some leeway here — the order is what matters, and deliveries after the September 5 date can keep the option’s current cost.