Tesla has quietly made a significant change to its vehicle lineup in both Canada and the United States, officially removing Autopilot on new vehicles. The move comes just a week after CEO Elon Musk announced that Tesla would stop selling FSD as a one-time purchase, and instead shift to a subscription-only model.
According to an update to the Design Studio on Thursday night, all new Tesla purchases now come equipped with Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC) as the default basic driver assistance feature, while Full Self-Driving (Supervised) becomes the only advanced driver-assist system available to buyers.
For the millions of owners already with Autopilot, the software won’t be removed from your car as this change only applies to new purchases as of Thursday night.
With Autopilot now discontinued, customers in both countries are now presented with two paths for Full Self-Driving (Supervised), which will soon be dwindled down to one – a monthly subscription priced at $99, or a one-time purchase that remains available until February 14, 2026. In Canada that cost is $11,000, while buyers in the U.S. have to pay $8,000.
TACC vs Autopilot
TACC is a basic driver-assistance feature that maintains a set speed while automatically slowing down or speeding up to keep a safe following distance from the vehicle ahead, but it does not steer and requires the driver to handle all lane keeping and navigation.
Autopilot, by contrast, combined TACC with Autosteer, meaning the vehicle could both control speed and actively steer to stay centered in its lane on clearly marked roads, reducing driver workload on highways—though it still required driver supervision and hands on the wheel.
Autopilot has been at the core of Tesla’s brand for more than a decade, shaping buyer expectations around what features comes standard. Tesla’s vehicles are also widely recognized for their safety, in part because Autopilot’s core functions that were included as standard on every vehicle.
Removing it entirely—and effectively pushing buyers toward a $99 per month subscription—risks undermining both of those expectations. Replacing Autopilot with TACC strips away a meaningful safety and driver-assist features many buyers reasonably assumed would be included, like lane keep that comes standard on much cheaper vehicles, potentially making new Teslas feel like a step backward unless customers pay more.
With the discontinuation of Autopilot, Tesla is now including a 90-day trial of FSD, up from the previous 30-day trial, allowing owners to experience the system’s city-street navigation, highway driving, and advanced traffic handling before deciding whether to subscribe or buy outright (before February 14).
What do you think about the end of Autopilot? Let us know in the comments below.
