Recently, Elon Musk announced on X that starting February 14, Tesla will no longer sell Full Self-Driving (FSD) as a one-time purchase, offering it only via monthly subscription. The news immediately sparked heated discussions in the automotive community.
In the U.S., FSD currently supports both purchase and subscription: one-time purchase costs $8,000 (~57,000 RMB), while subscription is $99/month. At that rate, it would take 6 years and 8 months to match the buyout price. In China, FSD is only available as a one-time purchase for 64,000 RMB, but delivery timing varies due to system updates.
Musk’s push for subscriptions may be linked to Tesla’s recent shareholder-approved compensation plan. The plan requires active FSD subscribers to exceed 10 million users for three consecutive months, making subscriptions a convenient KPI booster.
From a user perspective, subscriptions are flexible: cancel anytime without affecting resale. Especially in China, where the full FSD version hasn’t fully launched, paying 64,000 RMB upfront is a high barrier. A lower-threshold subscription could attract more drivers to try it.
Domestic automakers handle autonomous driving fees differently:
- Xiaomi HAD: listed at 26,000 RMB but often given free for limited periods;
- Li Auto, Xpeng: included in vehicle price;
- NIO: monthly subscription 380 RMB/month, initially free for 2–5 years;
- Huawei ADS: both purchase/subscription available, premium version costs 36,000 RMB or 499 RMB/month, two years subscription almost equals buyout.
Conclusion: Chinese consumers generally prefer one-time purchase or built-in pricing over subscriptions. In the short term, Tesla’s subscription may expand the user base, but broad acceptance remains uncertain. How automakers price autonomous driving will continue to be a hotly debated topic.
