Autopilot

Autopilot is an advanced driver assistance system that helps enhance safety and convenience behind the wheel. When used properly, Autopilot reduces your overall workload as a driver. With Autopilot, Tesla owners can see a direct impact in reducing traffic collisions.

Additionally, active safety features come standard on all Tesla vehicles made after September 2014, which provide elevated protection at all times. Active safety features are available to help prevent or mitigate accidents.

As shown in our Vehicle Safety Report¹, Tesla vehicles with active safety features and FSD (Supervised) engaged experience fewer collisions than those driven without.

Note: Specific features available to you may vary depending on your vehicle configuration, hardware, software version, region, model, vehicle trim and model year.

Active Safety Features

Active safety features are made possible by our Autopilot hardware and software system and include:

Automatic Emergency Braking: Detects cars or obstacles that the vehicle may impact and applies the brakes
Forward Collision Warning: Warns of impending collisions with slower moving or stationary vehicles in front of your Tesla vehicle
Side Collision Warning: Warns of potential collisions with obstacles alongside your vehicle
Obstacle Aware Acceleration: Automatically reduces acceleration when an obstacle is detected in front of your vehicle while driving at low speeds
Blind Spot Monitoring: Warns when a vehicle or obstacle is detected when changing lanes
Lane Departure Avoidance: Applies corrective steering to keep your vehicle in your current lane
Emergency Lane Departure Avoidance: Steers your vehicle back into your driving lane when it detects that your vehicle is departing its lane and there could be a collision

Note: Active safety features are designed to assist drivers but cannot respond in every situation. It is your responsibility to stay alert, drive safely and be in control of your vehicle at all times.

Autopilot Features

Autopilot includes the following features:

Traffic-Aware Cruise Control: Maintains a set driving speed and slows down or accelerates as needed to maintain the following distance from the vehicle in front of you
Autosteer: Maintains a set speed if there is not a vehicle in front of you or a set following distance if there is a vehicle in front of you and your vehicle detects lane markings, road edges and the presence of vehicles and objects to intelligently keep your vehicle in its driving lane

The FSD (Supervised) package provides additional advanced driver assistance features and is available on eligible vehicles to help drive your Tesla vehicle almost anywhere under your active supervision. Learn about FSD (Supervised).

Note: Feature availability depends on vehicle configuration, hardware, software version, region, model, vehicle trim and model year. None of these features make your Tesla vehicle fully autonomous or replace you as the driver.

How to Use Autopilot

Before using Autopilot, you can customise the Autopilot settings from the vehicle's touchscreen. Review your Owner's Manual for additional instructions on using Autopilot features. You can find the Owner’s Manual on your vehicle’s touchscreen by tapping ‘Controls’ > ‘Service’ > ‘Owner’s Manual.’

You can choose how to activate Autopilot. On a ‘Single Click’ setting, both Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and Autosteer will engage when you single-press the right scroll button on your steering wheel. On a ‘Double Click’ setting, you must press the right scroll button on your steering wheel twice to engage Autosteer.

Autopilot Activation must be set to ‘Double Click’ to use Traffic-Aware Cruise Control independently of Autosteer.

Traffic-Aware Cruise Control

To enable Traffic-Aware Cruise Control on your vehicle’s touchscreen, tap ‘Controls’ > ‘Autopilot’ > ‘Traffic-Aware Cruise Control.’

To use Traffic-Aware Cruise Control, follow these steps:

Press the right scroll button on your steering wheel and release the accelerator pedal to allow Traffic-Aware Cruise Control to maintain the cruising speed. A chime will notify you that Traffic-Aware Cruise Control is now active.
Roll the right scroll wheel up to increase and down to decrease the speed.
Cancel Traffic-Aware Cruise Control by pressing the right scroll button or by pressing the brake pedal.

For vehicles equipped with a gear stalk, follow these steps:

Pull the gear stalk down once and release the accelerator pedal to allow Traffic-Aware Cruise Control to maintain the cruising speed. A chime will notify you that Traffic-Aware Cruise Control is now active.
Roll the right scroll wheel up to increase and down to decrease the speed.
Cancel Traffic-Aware Cruise Control by moving the gear stalk upward or by pressing the brake pedal.

To override the set cruising speed, apply the accelerator at any time.

Autosteer

To enable Autosteer on your vehicle’s touchscreen, follow these steps:

Tap ‘Controls’ > ‘Autopilot’ > ‘Autopilot Features’ > ‘Autosteer (Beta).’
Read through the Autosteer user agreements and follow the instructions.

Whenever Autosteer is active, Traffic-Aware Cruise Control is active as well.

To use Autosteer, follow these steps:

Press the right scroll button on your steering wheel. A chime will notify you that Autosteer is now active.
Roll the right scroll wheel up to increase and down to decrease the speed.
Cancel Autosteer by pressing the right scroll button or by pressing the brake pedal.

For vehicles equipped with a gear stalk, follow these steps:

Pull the gear stalk down twice. A chime will notify you that Autosteer is now active.
Roll the right scroll wheel up to increase and down to decrease the speed.
Cancel Autosteer by moving the gear stalk upward or by pressing the brake pedal.

To override the set cruising speed, apply the accelerator at any time.

Note: You cannot engage Autosteer unless your vehicle speed is below 140 km/h and the feature will abort if your vehicle exceeds 140 km/h while Autosteer is engaged.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions Show All Hide All

No. Autopilot is only available on Tesla vehicles built after September 2014, and functionality has changed over time based on the addition of new hardware and more powerful processing. For vehicles without Autopilot software, but equipped with the necessary hardware, you may be eligible to purchase Autopilot at any time through the Tesla app and the Autopilot software required will be added to your vehicle.
Autopilot is an advanced driver assistance system that enhances safety and convenience behind the wheel. Features included with Autopilot are Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and Autosteer. Autopilot features are intended for use on multi-lane roadways with clear lane markings.

Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is a suite of advanced driver assistance features that work in a variety of driving scenarios and any type of roadway, including residential and city streets. With Full Self-Driving (Supervised), your vehicle will be able to drive itself almost anywhere under your active supervision and will continuously improve with future software updates. Additionally, there are more features that come with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) including Autopark and more. Find out more about what FSD (Supervised) offers.
Autopilot features come standard with all new Tesla vehicles. If your Tesla vehicle does not have Autopilot, you can purchase Autopilot at any time through the Tesla app and the Autopilot software required will be added to your vehicle. The vehicle may need to complete an over-the-air software update before Autopilot features are available.
Tesla vehicles built between September 2014 and October 2016 include first generation Autopilot hardware: one camera, a first-generation radar and ultrasonic sensors. These vehicles are not eligible for retrofits to the latest Autopilot hardware.
To check your configuration from your vehicle’s touchscreen, follow these steps:

Select ‘Controls’ > ‘Software.’

Confirm Autopilot computer type.

Press ‘Additional Vehicle Information.’
Yes. Depending on your vehicle model and model year, vehicle controls and features are designed for the specific model including the controls within the vehicle’s touchscreen. Tesla continuously makes updates to the lineup of vehicles with the safety and convenience of Tesla drivers in mind. Tesla vehicles also regularly receive over-the-air software updates that add new features and enhance existing ones over Wi-Fi. Review the Owner’s Manual for additional information including instructions for use.
Yes. Autopilot is a driver assistance system that is intended to be used only with a fully attentive driver. It does not turn a Tesla into a fully autonomous vehicle.

Before enabling Autopilot, you must agree to “keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times” and to always “maintain control and responsibility for your vehicle.” Once engaged, Autopilot will also deliver an escalating series of visual and audio warnings, reminding you to place your hands on the wheel if insufficient torque is applied or your vehicle otherwise detects you may not be attentive enough to the road ahead. If you repeatedly ignore these warnings, you will be locked out from using Autopilot during that trip.

You can override any of Autopilot’s features at any time by steering, braking or applying the accelerator at any time.
If improper usage of Autopilot and FSD (Supervised) is detected, use of Autopilot features will be suspended for a week when you or another driver of your vehicle receives three or five Autopilot strikeouts, depending on your vehicle configuration.

A strikeout is when the Autopilot system disengages for the remainder of a trip after the driver receives several audio and visual warnings for inattentiveness. To see how many strikeouts are remaining before Autopilot access is suspended for your vehicle, select ‘Controls’ > ‘Autopilot.’

A strikeout is forgiven after half a week, as long as you do not receive another strikeout for your vehicle in that time.

¹ Collision data is based on data collected worldwide excluding China.