Tesla this week officially launched Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in Australia and New Zealand, and the first wave of local reviews has been overwhelmingly positive. With the media embargo lifted, mainstream outlets and EV reviewers got their first hands-on time with Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance system on public roads.
Australian media described the experience as “mind-blowing,” with one journalist noting that the car smoothly navigated Brisbane’s inner-city streets, motorways, and complex interchanges for over an hour with little intervention required. “It handled it so well. It was mind-blowing,” the reviewer said, recounting their experience with FSD on Australia’s Sunrise breakfast show on Channel 7.
Meanwhile, Australian car review outlet Chasing Cars put FSD through its paces and concluded it was “better than probably 60% of the drivers on Australian roads,” highlighting how far the technology has come since its earliest beta versions. Check out their full review below:
Across the Pacific in New Zealand, Kiwi EV review channel Ecotricity NZ also shared its first drive, praising FSD (Supervised) for confidently handling roundabouts, intersections, and lane merges with minimal driver input. Take a look at what they thought of FSD in the video below:
While the host reminded viewers that FSD remains a Level 2 driver-assistance system — meaning drivers must keep their hands ready near the wheel — the system impressed with its smoothness and composure in dense traffic. Occasional quirks, like hesitation in lane selection or inconsistent signaling, were noted, but they didn’t take away from the overall sense that Tesla’s system is edging closer to true autonomy.
FSD owners in Australia and New Zealand could soon be in for another major leap forward, as Tesla CEO Elon Musk has teased that version 14 of FSD may begin rolling out as early as September. Musk has claimed the upgrade will be two to three times safer and better than human drivers, representing Tesla’s most ambitious step toward autonomy yet.
