As the automotive industry comes to grips with the rapid evolution of self-driving technology, there’s no denying Tesla is leading the autonomous race.
Though the US marque's Autopilot software offers some basic autonomy, its highly advanced Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised software arrived in Australia in October this year, approximately eight years after it initially went on sale locally on the promise it would eventually arrive.
As reported by Drive in October 2025, Tesla’s FSD system is the brand’s most advanced semi-autonomous tech, which essentially allows the car to pilot itself.
Despite its highly advanced self-driving capabilities, it’s worth noting that drivers are still legally in control of the car in the event of an accident, with the car paying close attention to the driver when the system is engaged.
In Australia, the FSD software is available as v13 – while US examples have the latest v14 iteration – and is available as a monthly $149 subscription – or a one-time fee of $10,100 – on newly built Teslas equipped with 'Hardware 4' cameras.
These examples include Tesla Model 3 sedans built from September 2023 and Model Y SUVs produced from January 2024.
Nearly two months after its Australian debut, what’s it actually like living with Tesla’s FSD in Australia, and is it worth it? Drive spoke to some Aussie Telsa owners, and found they all had strong views about the technology – some very positive and others, not so much.
‘Daily commute became second nature’
For Ethan White, a 20-year-old owner of a 2024 Tesla Model 3 who’s driven over 3000km while using FSD, the software has been a game-changer for his daily commute.
“It’s extremely convenient to be able to supervise the car driving with a single press of a button. It allows the driver to take in more information and pay more attention to possible situations,” White told Drive.
However, the Queensland-based Tesla owner admitted he encountered some early problems with the self-driving feature, primarily because it had not yet learned his local driving route.
“The only issues I’ve encountered were during the first days of FSD, where it hadn’t driven on many roads yet, and because it learns the roads and remembers them for next time, I was experiencing the first learning processes,” he said.
“It would occasionally leave it late to change lanes to turn off or sit under the speed limit. But over the month [of trialling it], it had already learnt and began to fix these minor issues. It became more confident after every trip, and my daily commute became second nature."
Simon Xwn, a NSW-based owner of a 2024 Tesla Model 3, said the brand’s advanced self-driving software has made longer commutes easier.
“I think that it [Tesla’s FSD] is a dramatic improvement to my driving experience. I love driving, I like to interact with traffic, and I enjoy those high-speed lone driver moments on the road,” Xwn told Drive.
“But, when I am working, and in my car, my journey is normally one long set of phone calls. Siri and I get on well, and I send texts and call people in the three hours that I’m typically in the car. In this respect, FSD has been amazing.”
The 50-year-old driver said long-distance driving from outer areas to Sydney has been a breeze due to the car’s self-driving capabilities.
“I can drive from Cherrybrook to the city, and I only get stuck around all the roadworks at the bridge. Recently, I drove to Newcastle with no interruptions, and then to Wollongong,” he explained.
“It would appear, it’s most useful on those long journeys. It definitely reduces driving fatigue. It also achieves the predicted driving range more in FSD mode.”
‘Be ready for the mistakes’
While some Tesla owners have had a positive experience with the self-driving tech, others have reported encountering serious problems with the car’s software.
According to Allan Lancaster, a Victorian driver who owns a 2025 Tesla Model Y RWD, the electric SUV’s FSD software reportedly broke some basic road rules.
“[My car’s] FSD drove over islands in my local area, ignored right-hand traffic even if they [other drivers] had indicators on going into the roundabout,” Lancaster told Drive.
When asked what other problems he’s encountered during his FSD trial, the 32-year-old Tesla owner painted a stark image.
“[My car’s FSD] passed double lines to overtake when cars are incoming. FSD disengaged as I approached a roundabout with no warning. It read a 20km/h sign in a service road far off the freeway, and it slammed the brakes to slow down. When asking to merge, 80 per cent of the time it will not,” Lancaster said.
Despite this feedback, Tesla claims its FSD software is seven times safer than a human, according to its Australian website.
Additionally, some owners said the car’s lane changes have also been a key issue in some Australian models.
“My biggest ‘issue’ has been lane choice. Getting into a lane to exit a motorway, for instance, when it’s busy, is normally done earlier because you don’t want to antagonise the drivers who are already in line to exit," Xwn said.
“The car does ignore that line sometimes and cuts in later, this is frustrating,” he added.
For 73-year-old Allan Hughes – a South Australia-based owner of a 2025 Tesla Model Y Juniper – using his electric SUV’s FSD has been anything but convenient.
“It [Tesla FSD] didn’t make the driving experience easier, as you had to be fully aware at all times and be ready for the mistakes,” Hughes told Drive.
“The FSD was very disappointing as it didn’t navigate the roundabouts in our area, and it wanted to enter the roundabout on the wrong side of the road.
“It didn’t recognise the street we live in, and it always wanted to navigate the longest distance to arrive at the destination.
“In a narrow street, where cars are parked on both sides of the road, it just drove towards oncoming traffic. When there are no clear visible markings on the road, it would drive on the wrong side."
‘You are the captain of the car’
Most early FSD adopters who spoke to Drive admitted the current (now outdated) FSD software is still in its infancy in Australia, making the mistakes less frustrating for some owners.
“To make this tech work for you, you do have to change your attitude, you’re driving. If you consider that you are now the captain of the car, and it’s following your orders, it’s not a bad way to see it. I can see that a few improvements need to be made, but I think that in general, my FSD is much safer than most drivers,” Xwn from NSW told Drive.
“I was never expecting FSD to run perfectly, and I was looking forward to being a contributor to its continued evolution.”
Nevertheless, Hughes from South Australia thinks the brand prematurely launched the software.
“I think Tesla should have waited until the full updated version [V14] is available before releasing it in Australia,” he said.
Likewise, White said the current FSD version and its price point make it hard to justify paying for it on a monthly basis.
“[Tesla] needs to bring v14 FSD to Australia. The current version (Granny v13) is too slow and cautious; it needs to be more assertive to fit in on our roads. I understand their process, but in my opinion, the current software is not up to the Tesla standard; it could be so much better,” he said.
However, the 20-year-old Tesla Model 3 owner said he would definitely subscribe to the technology again if his work commute changed.
“I believe it’s an amazing piece of software, but for $150 it’s a lot of money each month, and I decided not to continue my subscription as my daily commute isn’t worth paying $150 to have the car drive me.
“But in the coming months, where I may be driving from North Brisbane to the Gold Coast every day, I will 100 per cent be subscribing again,” White explained.
For Victorian Telsa owner Lancaster, the technology is not yet reliable enough to justify having it.
“It's a nice thing to have, but no. The current version is more of an inconvenience where I have needed it the most. It's very rarely consistent in its current form.”
Ethan Cardinal graduated with a Journalism degree in 2020 from La Trobe University and has been working in the fashion industry as a freelance writer prior to joining Drive in 2023. Ethan greatly enjoys investigating and reporting on the cross sections between automotive, lifestyle and culture. Ethan relishes the opportunity to explore how deep cars are intertwined within different industries and how they could affect both casual readers and car enthusiasts.
