Tesla offers Full Self-Driving – for a monthly subscription fee

Tesla's highly-anticipated Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology has launched as a beta subscription service in the United States, setting owners back an extra US$199 (AU$270) a month to access it.

However, as CNET reports, there is a catch and an extra hidden cost – those who are upgrading from the previous Autopilot technology (sold between 2016 and 2019) will have to pay a $1500 premium, despite being told all Teslas from 2016 onwards would have FSD hardware.

Available as a US$10,000 (AU$13,700) option on new vehicles fitted with Tesla's Autopilot Computer 3.0, FSD can also be retrofitted to Model S and Model Xs which had the Autopilot Computer 2.0 and 2.5.

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Between 2016, when the announcement was made, and now, Tesla has offered free upgrades from the 2.0 and 2.5 systems to 3.0, but has always stood by its claim that earlier vehicles had self-driving hardware already installed.

Despite its name suggesting full automation, the FSD system is a level 2 driver assistance system, allowing the car to take over the majority of functions – although human interaction and input is still occasionally required.

While Tesla's Autopilot system is slightly more advanced than the adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist systems in a wide range of modern cars, FSD adds the ability for the vehicle to overtake slower cars on highways, react to road signs and traffic lights as well as summon the vehicle in a car park, although the owner needs to remain in sight.

Tesla has recently been spotted testing LiDAR and camera-based systems in its vehicles, despite previously relying heavily on radar-based systems.