Self-Driving Teslas Hit Australian Roads, Sparking Social Buzz
A growing fleet of self-driving Teslas is now operating in Australia, generating significant social media buzz with videos of driverless cars in traffic. Despite the "full self-driving" name, the vehicles still legally require human supervision, highlighting the public's mixed reaction of awe and anxiety.
Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" Supervised software rolled out in Australia and New Zealand in September 2025, marking the technology's debut in right-hand-drive markets. The system is initially exclusive to newer models equipped with "Hardware 4" cameras and costs owners $10,100 upfront, though a $149 monthly subscription model was introduced shortly after launch. Despite the name, the system operates as a Level 2 driver-assist feature under current Australian law, not a fully autonomous one. This classification is a crucial distinction, as it means the human in the driver's seat remains legally responsible for the vehicle's actions and must be prepared to take immediate control. The country's regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles is still under development, with a national Automated Vehicle Safety Law not expected to be finalized until 2027. This leaves a legal grey area, as current road rules are built on the assumption that a human is always in control, a principle that "supervised" driving systems challenge. Within just two weeks of its release, Tesla owners in Australia and New Zealand had already clocked over one million kilometers using the FSD Supervised feature. This rapid adoption highlights significant consumer interest, with drivers covering an average of 80,000 kilometers per day with the system engaged during that initial period. The technology's arrival has not been without incident. In March 2022, a driver initially blamed Tesla's Autopilot for a hit-and-run in Melbourne, though she later pleaded guilty, admitting the system was not engaged. More recently, a December 2024 crash at a Sydney shopping centre, where a Tesla collided with several cars before driving off a ledge, has prompted an ongoing police investigation into the vehicle's automation features. Adding to the scrutiny, Tesla is facing a class-action lawsuit from Australian drivers over allegations of "phantom braking." The lawsuit claims the vehicles can brake suddenly and without reason, creating a risk of rear-end collisions, while Tesla maintains drivers are always responsible for maintaining control.
