What is Tesla Enhanced Autopilot, and Is It Worth $6,000 Compared to Full Self-Driving?

Tesla's Enhanced Autopilot offers a significant upgrade over the standard system for $6,000, providing key highway and parking assist features without the $12,000 cost of Full Self-Driving (FSD). For drivers seeking a middle ground in advanced driver-assistance, Enhanced Autopilot represents a compelling value, delivering core automated functions while FSD's most advanced capabilities remain in beta.

How Much Does Tesla Enhanced Autopilot Cost, and What's the Price Difference?

The financial decision between Tesla's Autopilot packages is straightforward. Enhanced Autopilot costs $6,000 as a one-time purchase. In contrast, the Full Self-Driving (FSD) package costs $12,000 upfront. Tesla also offers an FSD subscription: $199 per month for cars with standard Autopilot or $99 per month for vehicles that already have Enhanced Autopilot. When evaluating value, the key question is whether the features exclusive to FSD, which are not yet fully realized, justify doubling the investment.

What Features Do You Get With Enhanced Autopilot That Standard Autopilot Lacks?

Enhanced Autopilot builds directly upon the standard Autopilot features, which include Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (maintains a set speed and distance from the car ahead) and Autosteer (helps keep the car centered in a lane on highways). The $6,000 upgrade unlocks several more advanced capabilities designed for highway and parking scenarios:

• Navigate on Autopilot: This feature actively guides a car from a highway on-ramp to an off-ramp, suggesting lane changes, navigating interchanges, and taking exits.
• Auto Lane Change: When Autosteer is active, the car can automatically change lanes when the driver engages the turn signal.
• Autopark: This function helps with both parallel and perpendicular parking by automatically steering the vehicle into a detected space.
• Summon and Smart Summon: These features can move the car forward or backward in a tight parking space without a driver inside. Smart Summon can navigate more complex environments to bring the vehicle to the driver or a chosen location within a parking lot.

How Does Enhanced Autopilot Compare to the Full Self-Driving Package?

The primary difference lies in the level of automation and the driving environments addressed. Enhanced Autopilot is focused on highway and low-speed parking assistance. The Full Self-Driving package includes all of Enhanced Autopilot's features but adds two capabilities intended for city driving, which are currently labeled as beta software and not available to all owners:

• Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control (Beta): This system is designed to identify traffic lights and stop signs and automatically slow the car to a stop.
• Autosteer on City Streets (Future): This promised feature would extend Autosteer's capability to non-highway roads, but it is not yet widely released.

Based on our assessment experience, it's crucial to understand that neither system makes the Tesla autonomous. Tesla requires drivers to remain fully attentive, with hands on the wheel, ready to take control at any moment.

Is Tesla Enhanced Autopilot Worth the Investment for Most Drivers?

The value of Enhanced Autopilot is highly dependent on your driving patterns. For those who frequently undertake long highway commutes or road trips, the Navigate on Autopilot feature can significantly reduce driving fatigue. The automated parking features can also be a major convenience in urban settings. However, for drivers whose commuting is primarily on city streets without heavy highway use, the standard included Autopilot may be sufficient. The $6,000 question is whether the current, functional highway features are valuable enough to you, versus paying double for FSD's city-driving capabilities that are still under development.

To maximize your investment, consider your typical routes and whether you would regularly use the automated highway navigation and parking assists. For many, Enhanced Autopilot delivers the most practical and usable advanced driver-assistance features available today at a more accessible price point than the full FSD suite.