Tesla has begun rolling out dynamic pricing for its Robotaxi service, replacing the previously flat $6.90 fare cap with a system that adjusts pricing based on ride distance. The change, spotted by longtime Tesla watcher and Robotaxi pilot participant Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt), is part of a new app update — version 25.7.10 — that also brings “minor fixes and improvements.”
One example shared by fellow Tesla enthusiast @Tslachan showed an 11-mile trip across the Robotaxi service’s coverage area — which humorously still resembles a phallic shape on the map — in Austin, Texas, now priced at $13.71.
That’s roughly $1.25 per mile and compares favorably to traditional ride-hailing services. “While I was in Austin, I took an 8.6 mile Uber ride across Tesla’s geofenced area for $17.93 ($2.08 per mile),” Merritt noted in a follow-up post.
According to the new build’s release notes, “short rides now cost less with dynamic pricing.” Previously, all Robotaxi trips cost a flat $6.90 (up from the equally meme-worthy launch price of $4.20) per ride regardless of distance. The update follows a series of recent improvements to the Tesla Robotaxi app, including adaptive pickups and automatic dark/light mode switching.
Tesla’s Robotaxi service remains limited to a geofenced area in Austin, Texas, but references within the app suggest that a California launch is imminent — albeit with a human safety driver behind the wheel. Tesla is also reportedly in talks with Nevada officials to expand the service to that state.
As Tesla continues to fine-tune the service and prepare for wider availability, dynamic pricing may make the Robotaxi platform more competitive with traditional ride-hailing services, especially for shorter trips.
