It was only a matter of time before the rental economy swallowed our cars too. We’ve railed against the posh Euro snobs charging for heated seats and steering wheel, wireless CarPlay, and in Mercedes’ case, four-wheel steering. Over the Air updates allow company control of your car even to the point of being able to remotely track and disable it, a good thing in most cases.
We have long campaigned for anything in a vehicle already installed, inherently inbuilt, or is otherwise available should be there for an owner to enjoy.
Even a base model Kia has lane centring and smart cruise, but in one of the sharpest, tech-focused vehicles on the road, you will no longer have it without subscription. There is lots of fine print, so here it is;
Following similar announcements in the US, Tesla is officially killing the option to actually own your Full Self-Driving software in Australia and New Zealand. From March 31, 2026, the era of the one-off payment is dead, replaced by the never-ending drain of a monthly subscription. No pay, no use.
If you have been sitting on the fence about dropping the cash to own the tech outright, your window is about to slam shut. You have until the end of March to order a vehicle with the configuration or hit the buy button in the app if you already own a HW4 model. After that, you are tethered to a monthly bill of $149 in Australia or $159 in New Zealand. It is a disappointing pivot for a pioneering company that once championed the idea of your car being an appreciating asset. Now, it is just another line item on your bank statement that never goes away.
The timing feels particularly sour because they are also sunsetting the EAP and FSD transfer promotions. If you were hoping to carry your expensive software over to a new trade-in, you better move fast and take delivery before that March deadline. Once April hits, that loyalty is worth nothing. You will be starting from scratch with a subscription like everyone else. Remember the free super-charging that once made Tesla owners feel special? Ditto staying within the dotted lines.
Above: This Week’s VIDEO Review –2025 Chery Tiggo 4 Hybrid
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Even the warranty updates feel like a distraction from the fact that we are losing the right to own the software that makes a wonderful Tesla, a wonderful Tesla. While a five-year warranty is fine, it does not take the sting out of being forced into a subscription model. We are moving toward a future where you do not truly own anything in your driveway, you just lease the privilege of using the features you already paid for. Only Value-added features like concierge services and live traffic could possibly warrant such fees. To rub salt into the wounds, the world’s richest man’s $1trillion pay pack depends on 10 million FSD subscribers. Keep this in mind, owners are as good as directly transferring $150 a month from their accounts to Elon Musk’s account.
This move had deeply wounded Tesla fans, including this one. If the future of autonomy looks a lot like a recurring invoice, let’s find another one. Chinese carmakers are here already. Their leaps have been stratospheric and with everything included, will Tesla and the legacy brands be left in a steaming heap?
Alan Zurvas is the founder and editor of Gay Car Boys, Australia's leading LGBTQI+ automotive publication. Before launching GCB in 2008, Alan's automotive writing was published in SameSame.com.au and the Star Observer. With over 16 years of hands-on car reviewing experience, Alan brings an honest, irreverent voice to every review — championing value and innovation over brand loyalty.
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