In October 2016, Elon Musk hastily organized a call with reporters to discuss a new technology that he promised would change the world: “Full Self-Driving.”

Musk claimed that the following year, after the Model 3 went on sale in the US, a Tesla would be able to drive from Los Angeles to New York City “without the need for a single touch, including the charger.” Every Tesla was being manufactured with all the hardware it would need for the task, he said; the only requirement would be an $8,000 software download.

A year passed, and the cross-country trip never materialized. Musk said 2018 would be the year. Then it was 2019. Then 2020. Again and again, the future was always just another year away. “I know I’m the boy who cried FSD,” Musk said on an earnings call last week, “but man, I think we’ll be better than human by the end of this year.”

Four years after FSD went on sale, there was nothing to show for it. Then, in October 2020, Tesla started a program called FSD Beta, releasing an early version of software that owners could apply to test. By 2023, Tesla opened the program to anyone in the US who purchased the software, which now goes for $15,000.

In the first major survey of more than 2,000 FSD Beta testers, we asked how it performed in different driving situations. Stop signs and stop lights were rarely a problem, they reported, but construction zones, uncontrolled intersections and responding to emergency vehicles were serious concerns.

“Full Self-Driving” remains a misnomer — the driver is responsible for operating the vehicle even when the feature is engaged. While Tesla releases a steady cadence of over-the-air software updates that help its cars navigate even city streets, drivers are supposed to keep their hands on the wheel at all times.

FSD Beta is like my 15-year-old with her learners permit. You never know what it might do or why.

In February, Tesla recalled roughly 363,000 FSD-equipped cars after the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration raised concerns about vehicles exceeding speed limits, traveling straight through intersections in turn-only lanes and failing to come to complete stops. Tesla’s fix was an over-the-air software update.

NHTSA has two active investigations into possible defects involving Tesla’s standard automated-driving features, marketed as Autopilot — one opened in August 2021 and the other in February 2022. The first probe, into how Teslas handle crash scenes with first-responder vehicles, was escalated in June of last year.

FSD Beta testers had mixed reviews of the product overall. Some said it improved their safety with proper oversight. Others strongly disagreed. The general consensus was that FSD isn’t yet reliable enough for the average driver.

One of Tesla’s automated-driving features fared particularly poorly: Smart Summon, which allows users to hail their vehicle from across a parking lot via Tesla’s phone app. Scores declined since 2019 and owners said the feature wasn’t reliable (2.54), wasn’t useful (2.65), and didn’t do a good job navigating the driveable areas of a parking lot (2.84).

Musk, who has acknowledged the feature’s limitations in the past, tweeted in June that a software update would soon be available and wisecracked that it would be called “Actually Smart Summon (ASS).”

Smart Summon is a highly unreliable gimmick at best.

Tesla’s self-driving plans have been a magnet for controversy from the start — partly because of Musk’s aggressive, unrealized promises. Some critics maintain that even now there’s little chance of Tesla achieving Musk’s vision of driverless robotaxis using the current suite of cameras and computers installed in its cars. The survey respondents might disagree. The most unified they were on an FSD question was over whether Tesla was on the right track to solving driverless transportation.

I definitely feel safer driving with it. It isn't perfect, but neither am I, and we complement each other's weaknesses.

Satisfaction with Tesla’s standard Autopilot for highway lane-keeping and speed control was high (4.46) and essentially unchanged from 2019. The same is true for its Enhanced Autopilot, which adds lane changes and automatic navigation through highway interchanges.

Tesla owners reported that Autopilot made them safer drivers (4.2), even if it sometimes put them in dangerous situations. Survey respondents attributed eight crashes at least in part to Autopilot, mostly for failing to detect stationary objects like road debris, guard rails and, in one instance, an overturned vehicle.

Drivers reported using the driver-assistance features often. They estimated, on average, that Autopilot or FSD was deployed for about 70% of their highway miles and almost 30% of city driving. These were self-reported approximations by survey respondents and can’t be verified.

Tesla owners were given a chance to submit additional comments about any of Tesla’s Autopilot features, in their own words. Those responses can be explored below, sorted by each owner’s scoring of the feature’s reliability. Comments have been lightly edited for readability and appropriateness.

Tesla’s Supercharging Advantage

Tesla’s rapid growth has made the company a household name and helped it accumulate a stock market valuation equivalent to the next nine biggest automakers combined. It achieved this in part by building its own global network of high-speed Superchargers to convince drivers that EVs could be just as capable and convenient as gasoline equivalents.

Building such a massive grid of infrastructure was a burden, particularly during Tesla’s cash-torching startup days. Now it’s an “if you can’t beat them, join them” asset. Ford, General Motors, Rivian, Volvo, Mercedes and Nissan have all reached deals with Tesla to equip their future vehicles with Tesla’s charging port and gain paid access to the Supercharging network.

Tesla owners were conflicted about this. Some bemoaned the potential for longer lines or didn’t think Tesla should give away a strategic advantage to companies that didn’t help pay for its construction. Others were happy that EV adoption might be accelerated by the deals.

It’s no wonder competing automakers want to gain access to Tesla’s Superchargers. They’re beloved by drivers who say they’re easy to use, reliable, and widely available along major routes.

Compared to 2019, Tesla owners said Superchargers were more accessible, though many were unhappy with the rising prices Tesla has been charging.

Charging satisfaction varied depending on where people do their charging. People who do most of their charging at home or work, where charging is slower but extremely convenient, were much happier than those who relied on high-speed charging alone.

In order for EVs to continue their rapid expansion, more charging options will be needed. It’s even clearer now than it was in 2019 that Tesla will play a critical part.

Tesla Solar and Powerwall Battery

While the primary focus of the 2023 owners survey was Tesla’s automotive business, Bloomberg also inquired about Tesla’s solar products and Powerwall batteries for home energy storage.

Almost 15% of Tesla car owners reported also owning at least one energy product. About 12% had Tesla solar panels on their house and 9% owned Powerwall batteries. A negligible number have acquired Tesla’s Solar Roof.

An analysis of the comments provided by Tesla Energy customers found near-universal praise for the products. Owners lauded seamless transition to battery power, reliable solar generation and the clean integration of these services through the mobile app.

Service, however, was a frequent source of complaint. Just over 20% of the comments mentioned a frustrating service experience. Most complaints focused on poor communication during design and permitting, difficulty reaching a customer-service representative and unexpected delays.

Customer service and organization of Tesla Energy is the worst I have ever seen. Great product, poor customer service.

Tesla Insurance

Tesla is the first automaker to offer insurance directly to its customers. The idea was to undercut the relatively high rates other insurers were charging Tesla owners, in part by using each car’s analytics to identify risky driving behavior.

Tesla says premiums are based on the vehicle’s monthly safety score, rather than traditional factors such as age, credit, gender and claim history. Most respondents found the quotes to be competitive.

Two of the most common reasons people gave for rejecting an offer from Tesla Insurance were that they didn’t trust Musk or Tesla to represent their interests in a claim, and that Tesla doesn’t have the ability to bundle car insurance with homeowner insurance.

For people who did test out the new product, reviews were mostly positive — especially given Tesla’s mixed track record with customer service.

For the most part, owners said they would recommend Tesla Insurance to others. The service is currently offered in a dozen states, including Texas and California. The company plans to expand to Florida later this year.

When asked about growth plans during Tesla’s annual meeting in May, Musk said Tesla has been stymied by the patchwork of insurance rules and regulations that are unique to each state. “Our intent is to roll out nationwide, and ultimately internationally,” he said. “And there is a staggering amount of paperwork that is needed to get it done.”

See the Full Tesla Survey 2023 Results:
Part I: Elon vs the Brand
Part II: Model 3 Holds Up
Part III: Driving on Autopilot