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Tesla raising price of Full Self-Driving option that still doesn't fully self-drive

You'll pay $12,000 for the privilege beginning Jan. 17. And Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the price will go up again in the future.

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Nope, can't drive itself.

Tesla

Tesla will once again raise the price on its misleadingly named Full Self-Driving feature, company CEO Elon Musk tweeted Friday. Beginning Jan. 17, the Full Self-Driving option will cost $12,000 -- a $2,000 increase over the current price.

This isn't the first time Tesla raised the price on its Full Self-Driving function that -- and we cannot stress this enough -- is not a fully self-driving technology. (There are no self-driving cars currently for sale.) In Nov. 2020, the price for FSD rose from $8,000 to $10,000.

Musk also tweeted that the price for Full Self-Driving will rise again as the technology gets closer to production.

Right now, selecting the FSD option gets you Tesla's Autopilot driver-assistance suite, which includes automatic lane changes, automatic parking, steering assist on limited highways, the Summon function and more. If you purchase the FSD option, the car gets added hardware that will enable fully self-driving capabilities if and when those ever become legal for road use. 

We've found the Autopilot system to be hit or miss on long-term Tesla Model Y crossover, largely due to a constant phantom braking problem. Tesla's made a number of over-the-air updates to this technology over time, and says it is constantly tweaking and improving these driver-assistance features.

Tesla does not operate a public relations department and is therefore unable to comment on Musk's tweet.

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Steven Ewing Former managing editor
Steven Ewing spent his childhood reading car magazines, making his career as an automotive journalist an absolute dream job. After getting his foot in the door at Automobile while he was still a teenager, Ewing found homes on the mastheads at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog and Motor1.com before joining the CNET team in 2018. He has also served on the World Car Awards jury. Ewing grew up ingrained in the car culture of Detroit -- the Motor City -- before eventually moving to Los Angeles. In his free time, Ewing loves to cook, binge trash TV and play the drums.
Steven Ewing
Steven Ewing spent his childhood reading car magazines, making his career as an automotive journalist an absolute dream job. After getting his foot in the door at Automobile while he was still a teenager, Ewing found homes on the mastheads at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog and Motor1.com before joining the CNET team in 2018. He has also served on the World Car Awards jury. Ewing grew up ingrained in the car culture of Detroit -- the Motor City -- before eventually moving to Los Angeles. In his free time, Ewing loves to cook, binge trash TV and play the drums.

Article updated on January 7, 2022 at 3:37 PM PST

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Steven Ewing Former managing editor
Steven Ewing spent his childhood reading car magazines, making his career as an automotive journalist an absolute dream job. After getting his foot in the door at Automobile while he was still a teenager, Ewing found homes on the mastheads at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog and Motor1.com before joining the CNET team in 2018. He has also served on the World Car Awards jury. Ewing grew up ingrained in the car culture of Detroit -- the Motor City -- before eventually moving to Los Angeles. In his free time, Ewing loves to cook, binge trash TV and play the drums.
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