Tesla Adds FSD Referral Rewards, With a 12-Trial Annual Cap

A trial must become a paid subscription to reward the referrer; Tesla’s terms also set a separate lifetime limit.

Tesla has introduced a Full Self-Driving (Supervised) referral offer under terms effective October 29, 2026. Eligible recipients get a month-long trial, but simply accepting an invitation does not earn the sender a reward: the recipient must purchase a subscription during that trial. Tesla program terms Tesla referral support.

The distinction matters. This is an incentive to recruit a paying software user, not a reward for every shared link. And the program limits trial redemptions as well as successful referrals, so an invitation that produces no subscriber can still use part of an owner’s allowance. Tesla program terms.

Who gets what

Source: Tesla FSD referral support.

The sender must already subscribe to FSD (Supervised) or have bought it outright. Tesla’s support page requires app version 4.62.0 or later; the link is under Refer and Earn, in the FSD section. Benefits remain pending until their grant date and expire 12 months after that date. Tesla referral support.

Three limits, not one

The program terms allow 12 accepted or redeemed referral trials per calendar year, 12 earned rewards per year and 48 rewards over an account’s lifetime. A redeemed trial counts even when the recipient never subscribes. Tesla program terms.

Recipients must have an eligible registered vehicle, no current FSD subscription or outright purchase, and no subscription or redeemed FSD trial in the preceding 12 months. Hardware and firmware eligibility still apply. Participants must be 18 or older; Tesla for Business customers, employees and one-year FSD grantees are excluded. Market availability depends on account registration addresses. Tesla program terms.

For a trial supplied with a new vehicle, Tesla’s support page adds a stricter timing detail: at least 12 months must have passed since that trial ended. Tesla referral support.

Vehicle loyalty is a different benefit

Tesla’s current U.S. Refer and Earn product lists name solar panels for purchase-based buyer and referrer benefits, but still list Model 3, Model Y and Cybertruck for loyalty benefits. Solar panels remain on the loyalty list too. Tesla Refer and Earn.

That is narrower than saying Tesla has ended every vehicle-related incentive. Repeat-purchase loyalty and rewards for bringing in another buyer are different categories. The page also retains demo-drive referral language, so it should not be read as eliminating every non-FSD referral activity. Tesla Refer and Earn.

Owners considering a purchase should check the relevant offer in their account rather than assume an old vehicle-referral promotion still applies. Likewise, a software-referral credit is not the same thing as a cash payment or a universal discount on a new car. Tesla Refer and Earn Tesla referral support.

A subscription offer, not autonomous driving

FSD (Supervised) remains driver assistance. Tesla says it requires active supervision and does not make the vehicle autonomous; available features vary with the vehicle, software and region. A free trial changes the price of access, not the driver’s responsibility. Tesla FSD support.

Tesla’s U.S. support page currently lists the subscription at $99 a month. It says customers may cancel at any time, retain access for the rest of the billing period and do not receive subscription refunds. Those ongoing costs are separate from the referral trial and should be considered before converting. Tesla FSD support.

The new offer gives Tesla a way to reward an owner for persuading another owner to pay for software. Whether it produces durable demand will depend on what happens after the introductory period—not on the number of links shared. The published offer describes incentives, not evidence of retention or improved driving performance. Tesla referral support Tesla FSD support.