Tesla Model 3: Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot & FSD

“Autopilot” is the umbrella name for the driver assistance features of the Tesla Model 3. Since April 2019 the base package has been standard on every new Tesla; in addition, Tesla sells the “Enhanced Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) upgrades. Despite the name, the system is generally classified as SAE Level 2 driver assistance: the driver must supervise it continuously and remains responsible at all times — Tesla itself states this as well.

The overview below shows the features of the three packages as described by Tesla, along with operation, the situation in Europe and independent context — with sources.

Model 3 cockpit at night with the central touchscreen

Package features (as stated by Tesla)

Assignment per the Tesla support page (retrieved January 2025). Package contents and availability may change; tesla.com is authoritative.

	Autopilot (standard)	Enhanced Autopilot	Full Self-Driving (FSD)
Traffic-Aware Cruise Control
Autosteer
Auto Lane Change	–
Navigate on Autopilot (beta)	–
Autopark	–
Summon & Smart Summon	–
Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control (beta)	–	–
Autosteer on City Streets	–	–	announced*

* Tesla lists Autosteer on City Streets for Europe as “upcoming”. Since spring 2026, “FSD (Supervised)” has been approved in some European countries (incl. the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium), not yet in Germany.

Source: tesla.com – Support „Autopilot-Funktionalität“ (Paketbeschreibung, Abruf 01/2025)

Driver assistance, not autonomous driving

Tesla itself describes Autopilot as a driver assistance system that requires active supervision: the currently enabled features “do not make the vehicle autonomous”, the driver must keep their hands on the wheel and be able to take over at any time. If the system registers too little torque on the steering wheel, a series of visual and audible warnings follows; if these are repeatedly ignored, Autopilot locks out for the rest of the drive.

Independently classified, the system corresponds to SAE Level 2 (partial automation): it assists with steering and speed, while responsibility and liability remain with the driver. This also applies to the package sold as “Full Self-Driving” in its current form.

FAQ: What is Autopilot? →

Source: Tesla support page “Autopilot”

Activation and operation in the Model 3

Steering-wheel controls in the Model 3 with the central touchscreen behind

Per Tesla’s description, Traffic-Aware Cruise Control in the Model 3 is activated by pressing the stalk on the right side of the steering column down once; pressing twice activates Autosteer. A grey steering wheel icon on the display indicates readiness, a blue one an active Autosteer.

Several features — such as Autosteer, Navigate on Autopilot and Summon — are disabled by default and have to be enabled once in the Autopilot menu under “Settings”. Before first use, the vehicle requires consent that the driver keeps their hands on the wheel and maintains control of and responsibility for the car. Instructions and safety notes are in the owner’s manual.

FAQ: What is Navigate on Autopilot? →

FSD in Europe: status June 2026

In North America and China, “FSD (Supervised)” — supervised assisted driving including city streets — has been available for some time. In Europe, the Dutch vehicle authority RDW granted the first approval on 10 April 2026; Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark and Belgium followed by June 2026.

In Germany, FSD Supervised has not been approved so far. For a Model 3 there, the FSD package in practice mainly adds Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control (beta) on top of the Enhanced Autopilot features; Tesla lists Autosteer on City Streets as “upcoming”. Even where FSD Supervised is approved, it remains an SAE Level 2 system with a continuous supervision requirement.

Source: Wikipedia: Tesla Autopilot (with country timeline)

Criticism, court rulings and investigations

The name “Autopilot” has drawn criticism for years because it promises more than a Level 2 system delivers. In July 2020, the Munich I Regional Court prohibited Tesla from making corresponding advertising claims as misleading; the ruling is final.

By April 2024, the US traffic safety authority NHTSA had examined 956 crashes with Autopilot suspected to be active and concluded that the system contributed to at least 467 of them, including 13 fatal ones. In 2025 the agency opened a further investigation into around 2.9 million vehicles over traffic violations under FSD. Tesla’s own safety statistics, according to which fewer crashes occur per distance driven with Autopilot, are questioned by independent researchers due to the lack of comparability of the underlying data.

Sources: Wikipedia: Tesla Autopilot (German) · Wikipedia: Tesla Autopilot (English)

Hardware: cameras instead of radar

Front view of the Model 3; the front-camera housing sits at the top of the windscreen

According to Tesla, Model 3 cars for the European markets have been equipped with “Tesla Vision” since April 2022: a purely camera-based system with neural-network processing that works without radar sensors. Depending on the build year, the Autopilot computer is generation HW3 or HW4; Tesla distributes new features via over-the-air software updates.

Per Tesla, the installed Autopilot computer can be checked on the touchscreen under “Vehicle → Software”.

Autopilot timeline

Hardware generations and software steps at a glance – from the first Autopilot to the first European approval of FSD Supervised.

10/2015
First Autopilot features
Tesla enables steering and lane-keeping assistance via software update – initially on the Model S, based on the first hardware generation with a Mobileye chip.
10/2016
In-house camera hardware (HW2)
After parting ways with Mobileye, Tesla fits new cars with eight of its own cameras and develops the software in-house.
07/2017
Model 3 launch
The first Model 3 cars are delivered in the US, carrying the second-generation camera hardware.
04/2019
FSD computer (HW3); basic Autopilot becomes standard
A computer developed in-house replaces the Nvidia hardware; since then, basic Autopilot has been standard equipment on every new car.
05/2021
“Tesla Vision”: radar dropped
Model 3 and Model Y ship without radar in North America; according to Tesla, European Model 3 cars follow from April 2022, and from late 2022 the ultrasonic sensors are dropped as well.
09/2023
“Highland” facelift with Hardware 4
The revised Model 3 arrives with the fourth hardware generation, including new cameras.
2024
FSD (Supervised) in North America
With version 12, Tesla moves to a system driven end-to-end by a neural network and renames the package “FSD (Supervised)”, available in the US and Canada.
02/2025
City features in China
China becomes the first market outside North America to receive the city features, with a scope adapted to local rules.
04/2026
First approval in Europe
On 10 April 2026, the Dutch vehicle authority RDW issues the first European approval for FSD Supervised; as of June 2026, the system is not approved in Germany.