Some Tesla owners with older hardware are seeing an interesting option pop up in the Tesla app: a $1,000 upgrade to Basic Autopilot.
A Reddit post on r/TeslaModel3 from user akush_666 shows their upgrade menu, with Autopilot priced at $1,000. The user, who owns a 2018 Model 3 with Hardware 2.5, noted they never had Autopilot since it was originally a $3,000 option (likely referring to Enhanced Autopilot, which also includes features like Autopark and Smart Summon). They added, “I remember back in 2019 they did this, but should I consider it now?”
Image: /u/akush_666 on Reddit
Basic Autopilot was rolled out in early 2019 and became standard on new vehicles, with Tesla increasing the base vehicle price by $2,000 to accommodate the inclusion. Prior to that, vehicles without the upgrade only had access to standard, fixed-speed cruise control. On HW2.5 vehicles, Basic Autopilot adds Traffic Aware Cruise Control (TACC) and Autosteer.
Back when Autopilot was introduced as standard, Tesla offered a limited-time “fire sale” to appease earlier buyers who missed out. At the time, Enhanced Autopilot (EAP) was offered for $3,000, Full Self-Driving (FSD) for $2,000, or both bundled for $5,000. Owners who already had EAP could add FSD for an extra $2,000.
Now, it looks like Tesla is revisiting the opportunity for older owners with Hardware 2.5 vehicles to buy into Autopilot at a much lower price point than before. For those who never had the feature, $1,000 seems like a compelling upgrade, especially since Autopilot brings adaptive cruise and lane centering — two features that transform the driving experience.
Are you still rocking a Tesla with HW 2.5? Have you seen this $1,000 Basic Autopilot upgrade available in your Tesla app? Let us know in the comments below.
