Tesla counts FSD subscriptions to meet pay goals

Tesla reported 1.74 million active FSD subscriptions as of the end of Q3, up 67% from last year. This metric was shaped by its 2025 CEO Performance Award, which includes both upfront payments and monthly subscriptions in its definition of active subscriptions. Tesla stopped selling FSD as a one-time purchase in February, and new customers can only get it as a subscription, at $99 a month in the US. However, those who paid upfront before February, at prices that reached $15,000, remain in the count as long as the car is active, except for those on free trials. Tesla’s “cumulative deliveries” also count “any unsupervised Robotaxis placed into commercial operation” to match the pay package. The attach rate, which is 75% of new deliveries in North America, shows FSD is driving demand in markets where it is available. Tesla added 260,000 net FSD subscriptions in Q3, its best quarter yet. At the pace of the last 12 months, it would take about 12 years to reach 10 million FSD subscriptions. The board wrote the definition of FSD subscriptions, and Musk’s compensation depends on it, but the company won’t say how many people pay $99 a month. The attach rate is the more interesting claim, if it holds up, as a 75% take rate on a $99-a-month product would be a real business. The board wrote the definition of FSD subscriptions, and Musk’s compensation depends on it, but the company won’t say how many people pay $99 a month. Tesla’s “cumulative deliveries” also count “any unsupervised Robotaxis placed into commercial operation” to match the pay package. The attach rate is the more interesting claim, if it holds up, as a 75% take rate on a $99-a-month product would be a real business. Tesla’s “cumulative deliveries” also count “any unsupervised Robotaxis placed into commercial operation” to match the pay package. The attach rate is the more interesting claim, if it holds up, as a 75% take rate on a $99-a-month product would be a real business.