Elon Musk just sparked speculation that Tesla could slash pricing for its premium Full Self-Driving (FSD) subscription in a major way. Elon fired off a couple of telling “likes” on X hinting at a potential price cut from the current $199 per month rate down to just $99.
Is $199 Too Rich?
Tesla originally introduced the FSD monthly subscription at $199 back in 2021, offering an alternative to the eye-watering $12,000 upfront cost to unlock the enhanced self-driving capabilities permanently. But based on social media poll leaves, even that $199 recurring fee could be too steep for some buyers.
Elon Musk two tweets from fans directly suggesting the $99 per month price point as a superior option for making FSD more accessible. One user claimed a previous “survey” conducted by Tesla identified $99 as the most popular choice among respondents considering an FSD subscription.
It’s easy to see the appeal. While $199 per month could be a tough sell for more casual owners, $99 starts to approach impulse purchase territory – especially considering FSD v12 continually improving skills and the option to cancel any time.
There could be another factor motivating Tesla to make FSD more affordable though: Data. The more subscriber miles the company can harvest for its autonomous training loop, the faster it can achieve the holy grail of true self-driving capabilities.
“The more people that use FSD, the more data Tesla gets to solve autonomy quicker,” remarked one keen industry observer. And if Musk does pull the trigger on a $99 FSD tier, expect a flurry of new sign-ups from owners looking to get in on those enhanced self-driving features on the cheap.