Tesla Reports 1.74M FSD Subscriptions to Meet Pay Milestones

Tesla claims it has 1.74 million active Full Self-Driving subscriptions. This figure rose 67% from the previous year. The company detailed how it arrived at this number in its Q3 2026 shareholder letter. A footnote states the metric aligns with the 2025 CEO Performance Award. It includes both upfront payments and monthly subscriptions.

This accounting method counts owners who bought FSD outright. Some of these purchases happened years ago. They remain in the active subscription total as long as their vehicle is operational. The only exclusion applies to free trials. This specific count relates to a pay package target. Elon Musk must reach 10 million active FSD subscriptions to earn his 2025 award.

Tesla stopped selling FSD as a one-time purchase on February 14, 2026. New customers can now only access the software via subscription. The monthly rate is $99 in the US. However, anyone who paid upfront before February remains in the count. These earlier purchases sometimes cost up to $15,000.

Tesla has not revealed how many of the 1.74 million pay monthly. The company reported 1.28 million subscriptions in April. Six months later, the breakdown of active payers remains undisclosed. The company also reports cumulative deliveries of 10.2 million vehicles. This number includes unsupervised Robotaxis placed into commercial operation. It matches a 20 million vehicle pay package milestone.

Tesla says over 75% of new deliveries in North America included FSD subscriptions in Q3. The company reported a nearly twenty percentage point sequential increase. It believes FSD is driving demand in markets where it is available. The letter does not define the metric. It does not say if this counts introductory offers. It also does not confirm retention rates for these buyers.

The 2025 CEO award contains 12 tranches. Each requires a market cap milestone and one operational milestone. Operational targets include 20 million vehicles delivered. They also list 10 million active FSD subscriptions. Other goals cover 1 million Optimus robots and 1 million robotaxis in commercial operation. Adjusted EBITDA targets are also included. As of June 30, Tesla considered only the 20 million deliveries target probable.

Tesla added 260,000 net FSD subscriptions in Q3. This was its best quarter to date. At this pace, reaching 10 million subscriptions would take about eight years. Based on the last 12 months, at 700,000 a year, it would take closer to 12 years. The award runs until 2035.