Tesla has launched a 30-day free trial of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software in China. With the trial, the company aims to increase FSD adoption in the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) market. This trial comes less than a month after Tesla finally received approval to deploy FSD in China.
According to a message sent to owners in China, the free trial of FSD runs from March 17 to April 16, 2025. The offer is available to eligible Tesla owners whose vehicles are equipped with the necessary assisted-driving hardware, updated software, and the latest navigation maps.
The message says the rollout will be staggered in batches, meaning some vehicles may receive the software update at different times. Tesla advises customers to ensure a strong vehicle signal and wait patiently for activation.
Tesla has launched a 30-day trial of FSD in China, from March 17 to April 16, 2025.
— Drive Tesla (@DriveTeslaca) March 17, 2025
This trial follows the launch of FSD in China last month. pic.twitter.com/NnBXUl2Gm8
Tesla has been working to bring its FSD system to China for years but faced challenges due to local data regulations that restrict the use of vehicle-collected data for AI training. Unlike in North America, where Tesla’s neural network continuously improves from millions of miles of real-world driving data, Chinese laws have limited Tesla’s ability to collect and process such information. To overcome this, Tesla used publicly available videos showing driving behaviours and patterns in China, also partnering with Baidu to use locally approved mapping and navigation technologies to improve FSD performance in China.
Tesla has offered similar 30-day FSD trials in North America to encourage adoption. In late 2024 and early 2025, Tesla provided free FSD trials in Canada and the U.S., allowing drivers to experience the software before committing to a purchase or subscription.
These trials were seen as a strategy to boost demand for FSD, especially as Tesla transitioned to a subscription-based model, where customers could pay a monthly fee instead of a one-time purchase. Tesla has yet to launch a FSD subscription model in China, although this could be a sign that it is coming soon.
