Tesla is taking a huge step in its worldwide autonomy deployment. Full Self-Driving (Supervised) will become available in Australia on Friday, August 29th, 2025. This will be a landmark moment in the history of Tesla since this will be the first right-hand drive (RHD) country, opening the door for wider international adoption beyond its current left-hand drive (LHD) strongholds such as the United States and Canada.
Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is not a fully autonomous driving system. Rather, it represents Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance technology, where the car is capable of handling city streets, highway driving, lane changes, and even complex urban scenarios such as roundabouts and intersections.
The name ‘Supervised’ is important. Tesla notes that the driver should exercise vigilance as he/ she hold the right to reclaim control in any given situation. The deployment is one of the safe ways that Tesla is adopting to be compliant without compromising on the data that they are gathering about the real-life driving experience.
Why Australia is a Milestone
The launch in Australia is a milestone as it is the first right-hand drive market to have the FSD package. So far, the software has been trained, tested, and deployed in left-hand drive territories only. Entering new territories with RHD plugs in introduces new complexities to the Tesla AI-driven system that includes:
- Lane positioning differences: Cars drive on the left side of the road, which alters road geometry and lane behavior
- Signage and road markings: Traffic signs, road signals, and markings differ in placement and design
- Roundabouts and intersections: Australia’s road network features unique traffic layouts that demand additional adaptability
It will be a rollout that will be closely followed not only by Australian regulators but also by Tesla enthusiasts in other RHD markets like the UK, Japan, New Zealand, and Singapore.
🔥🔥🇦🇺 Tesla will launch FSD (Supervised) in Australia on Friday, August 29th!
The rollout will be on version 13, potentially limited to HW4 vehicles at first.
This marks the first time FSD will be operational in a RHD country.
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— The Tesla Newswire (@TeslaNewswire) August 26, 2025
Version 13 and Hardware 4
The launch is accompanied by the next major version of software, FSD Version 13. Version 13 has allegedly improved the performance of neural networks even more, improved performance at handling complex intersections, and introduced more human ways of driving.
The caveat, however, is that early reports indicate that the Australian launch may not be all-encompassing and may initially just cover Tesla vehicles that are equipped with Hardware 4 (HW4). The new Tesla hardware is the fourth generation of self-driving hardware, which equips more powerful cameras, a new onboard computer, and has built-in redundancy.
This shortcoming may imply that previous models integrated with HW3 may not receive access to the system until further software optimisation takes place. Nevertheless, the rollout stands out as one of the crucial steps in Tesla’s universal autonomy.
Regulatory Landscape
Australia has been, in general, welcoming to the innovations of Tesla, and there has been a good EV uptake in various states like New South Wales and Victoria. The transition to Level 3 of autonomous driving will pose a challenge to regulatory boundaries, however. Driver assistance technologies have slightly different requirements across each state and territory, and, as such, Tesla will be required to liaise closely with local authorities.
The “Supervised” classification is expected to help Tesla navigate these hurdles. By highlighting that the drivers will always be in control, Tesla will be able to present such technology as an improved form of safety and convenience, instead of actually hoping that the driver can become fully autonomous.
