Electric vehicle maker Tesla has confirmed it is now testing its Full Self-Driving (FSD) semi-autonomous technology in Australia, revealing the news via the X social media platform owned by its CEO Elon Musk.
The post by Tesla AI, shared by Tesla Australia and New Zealand, showed what appears to be a Tesla Model 3 sedan using FSD to perform an infamous Melbourne ‘hook turn’ as it drives through the Victorian capital’s central business district using the system.
A human driver is clearly seen, as is the central display showing the surroundings of the vehicle as it navigates city traffic, including other cars, pedestrians, cyclists and of course trams, in a journey lasting longer than the sped-up video’s nearly two-minute length.
Tesla first began testing its FSD system locally in January 2023 – or earlier – but the automaker’s Australian division had not officially confirmed testing on local roads until now.
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The FSD technology cannot legally be used by the public on Australian roads and is currently not available to Tesla owners even if their vehicle has the capability.
Some Australian customers have paid as much as $10,100 to have access to the Tesla FSD Beta technology in their vehicle via a software update once it has been legally approved for testing on public roads.
Tesla owners in Australia – as well as Belgium and Germany – were among the first outside the US to be able to reserve the system in their cars.
Local release timing for FSD has not been revealed, but following the automaker’s acknowledgement of local testing the system could be introduced more broadly here this year.
Tesla’s FSD system was first offered to selected owners in the US in October 2020, before it was rolled out to all North American Tesla customers in November 2022.
In January 2025, the Artificial Intelligence division of Tesla posted a clip on social media showing Model Ys and Model 3s driving out of the Fremont factory where they’re built into dock lanes awaiting shipment.
The tech was anticipated to be in right-hand drive Tesla vehicles – including those sold in Australia – in 2023. However, the timing was postponed and Mr Musk’s latest comments suggest a launch in the first half of 2025.
Mr Musk claimed FSD capability was built-in to every Tesla produced since 2016, however, he was forced to backtrack on that claim earlier this year, when he admitted that millions of vehicles will need hardware upgrades to use the tech.
The system is different to the EV brand’s Autopilot system, which is not offered in Australia but is fitted to Teslas in the US made from 2014. It includes functions now also offered by other automakers as part of their ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) tech suites.
They include Traffic Aware Cruise Control, which functions in the same way as adaptive cruise control but uses cameras, as well as Auto Lane Change, which is also know as lane centering in cars from other brands.
An Enhanced Autopilot system includes Dumb Summon, which moves a vehicle on or out of a tight parking space by using the key fob.
It also adds Actually Smart Summon, which according to Tesla can “navigate more complex environments and parking spaces, maneuvering around objects as necessary to come find you in a car park”.
Tesla is looking to rebound from its first annual sales decline in 2024, after an even more difficult start to 2025 which saw bigger sales slumps and calls from employees for Musk to step down as CEO.
An updated Model Y hit Australian showrooms this month, while the automaker also recently increased the range of the entry-level Model 3 sedan via another battery upgrade.
