How to use Tesla’s Autopilot

This blog post was written in 2022.

There are a few different ways your Tesla can help you navigate the road. We’re going to break down Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability for you right here.

One important distinction is that while all Tesla models come with Autopilot, you need to pay more in order to have the options of Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability. You can pay in one sum with your Tesla purchase or you can pay per month with a subscription.

So, let’s get started…

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How you initiate Autopilot depends on your Tesla model, but for the Model Y (pictured in the TikTok video above), you will be using the gearshift which is the right handle coming out of the steering wheel.

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Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC)

Press down once on the right gearshift handle. This puts the car into an advanced form of cruise control. TACC matches the speed of your Tesla to traffic around you. You set the speed and it will either maintain that speed or a speed below it while accommodating traffic.

Essentially, you just need to control the wheel and the car will control the brake and gas pedals (we probably shouldn’t use ‘gas pedal’ for a Tesla, but you get the idea).

autopilot

Press the handle down twice. You do not want this blue button (linked to the car’s navigation system) to be on if you want to keep it in Autopilot and not Full-Self Drive:

Tesla’s Autopilot uses TACC (Traffic-Aware Cruise Control) while also staying in one clearly marked lane. So it adds the Autosteer functionality.

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Enhanced Autopilot & FULL SELF-DRIVING CAPABILITY

Now, these are the big ones. If your car has Full Self-Driving Capability all of these things are combined, but we will break them down based on Tesla’s site so it’s more clear if you only have Enhanced Autopilot.

Enhanced Autopilot allows you to Auto Lane Change. That means if you tell the car to change lanes it will do so for you. It will also Autopark, which is great for parallel parking! It has a feature called Summon that allows you to press a button on the Tesla app (even when there is no driver in the car) and the car will move in and out of a tight space for you.

You can also use Smart Summon, where the Tesla can navigate without a driver in certain environments. For example, if you’re outside of your car and in a parking lot and you hold the button down in your app, the car will drive to where you’re located.

As of 2022, Tesla lists Navigate on Autopilot as “Upcoming” under Enhanced Autopilot. To have the car fully navigate for you (as in changing lanes and exiting the highway without you needing to tell the car to do so), directions must be in the car’s navigation system and the blue button (shown in the image above) must be turned on.

Full Self-Driving Capability allows you to do all of the above plus Navigate on Autopilot. And as of 2022, Tesla says its “Upcoming” features will also enable a car to use Autosteer on city streets (right now it’s only on highways) and to automatically navigate traffic and stop signs.

To stop using any of these features, tap on the break or lift the gearshift stick up once.

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Remember, safety first! You must always be paying attention and have your hands on the wheel. The self-driving function may abruptly turn off while you’re using it if the system isn’t sure how to navigate a space. Read more here.

DISCLAIMER: The information presented is not intended as advice and is for informational purposes only.