- Tesla has removed Autosteer from the Model 3 and Model Y configurator.
- The final step of the vehicle ordering process includes Traffic Aware Cruise Control, but not Autosteer.
- CEO Elon Musk says that Tesla will eventually increase the cost of Full Self-Driving as "capabilities improve."
Tesla has updated its vehicle configurator in the U.S. to remove its full Autopilot suite from all new Model 3 and Model Y trims. When ordering a new vehicle, the final configuration no longer includes Autosteer, the integral part of the Autopilot package that performs lane centering.
This move marks the latest push by Tesla to transform the way buyers access its driver-assistance features, departing from a fully-encompassing tech stack to a nudge toward a $99 per month Full Self-Driving subscription.
For those keeping track, removing Autosteer from Tesla's Autopilot package was a change that the automaker introduced when it made the "affordable" Standard trim available back in October. Model S and Model X currently have FSD bundled into the mandatory "luxe" package, while the cheapest trim of the Cybertruck only includes TACC.
Here's what it meant when Tesla removed Autosteer from the Standard trims of the Model 3 and Model Y:
Autopilot includes Traffic Aware Cruise Control (the feature that controls acceleration and braking while responding to surrounding cars) and Autosteer (which helps the car automatically follow lane lines). TACC is still included, but Autosteer is not, which means that it's going to feel a lot like 2012-era Tesla, and steering your car completely on your own is so back, baby.
Here's where things get confusing.
When looking at the vehicle feature comparison matrix on Tesla's website for both vehicles, Autosteer shows as included with all trims except for the Model 3 Standard and Model Y Standard—again, in-line with the change Tesla made in October.
However, when progressing through Tesla's vehicle configurator, the final order page of the Model 3 and Model Y—no matter the trim from Standard up through the $59,130 Performance version—shows only Traffic Aware Cruise Control as included with a new vehicle purchase, as well as a 30-day trial of Full Self-Driving.
Now, Tesla didn't exactly confirm this is its path forward; however, CEO Elon Musk did reply to a post on X announcing the change.
In the reply, Musk didn't address the change to Autopilot at all. Instead, Musk said that he "should also mention" that the cost of FSD "will rise as FSD's capabilities improve," insinuating that not only has the Autopilot packaging structure changed, but the cost of FSD (which is transforming into a subscription-only software package for $99 per month in February) will eventually increase.
Tesla is already getting backlash online for the change. One user on X commented that "Tesla is really going backwards," while Redditors called the move "super lame," "laughable," and pledged to look to other brands moving forward.
And to be fair, removing lane-centering really does put Tesla behind the pack. Even Toyota's sub-$25,000 base-trimmed Corolla LE has lane centering in 2026.
Some speculate that the move may be aimed at increasing Tesla's take-rate for FSD. This tracks with a report by a YouTuber who attended Tesla's launch event for the Model Y Standard. The YouTuber mentioned that a Tesla employee said that the automaker wanted to steer more buyers towards FSD with the package change.
Of course, it could also be linked to Musk's $1 trillion CEO Performance Award. One of the tranches is linked to Tesla having 10 million active FSD subscriptions and 20 million vehicles delivered—meaning that Tesla would need a global FSD take-rate of around 50% for both to happen simultaneously. And what better way to stimulate demand than to put a feature that the world has already developed a taste for behind a paywall?
