Turo will soon allow U.S. renters to specifically search for Tesla vehicles with "Full Self-Driving (Supervised)" enabled, and will verify each vehicle's FSD status through direct integration with Tesla. This feature will launch on October 28.
For Tesla, this is a new way to expose non-Tesla owners to FSD and a new source of FSD subscriptions, which are now included in Elon Musk’s compensation metrics.
How does Turo's FSD rental work?
Car owners link their Tesla account to Turo, and the platform uses Tesla’s API to retrieve the vehicle’s FSD status. Eligible vehicles will display “FSD Enabled,” and renters can filter by this criterion.
Eligible U.S. vehicle owners may also receive one month of free FSD (Supervised) trial. Afterward, the standard Tesla monthly subscription fee of $99 applies, and owners will likely aim to recoup this cost through daily rental rates. Turo has not specified whether vehicles equipped with FSD will carry a premium.
Turo CEO Andre Haddad called it a "groundbreaking industry-first integration with Tesla," noting that "while most travelers have limited access to driver-assistance technology, the demand is clear."
The term "industry first" is somewhat broad. Tesla has been renting out its own vehicles with FSD in Southern California since last year; we noticed signs of this initiative as early as 2023. The new development is that verified FSD vehicles on third-party platforms are now more numerous and available in a wider range of cities.
Why does Tesla want more people to use FSD?
In February, Tesla transitioned FSD to a subscription-only model and has since actively encouraged user trials, including offering one year of free subscription for new Model 3 and Model Y orders.
This urgency is justified. Tesla disclosed in the third quarter that its active FSD subscriptions reached 1.74 million, and it began reporting this metric because Musk’s 2025 CEO performance incentive plan uses this data. One milestone in the incentive is 10 million. At last quarter’s pace, Tesla would need approximately eight more years to reach this goal.
Free trials are not included in this number, but paid subscriptions are. Therefore, every Turo owner who continues to pay after the first month increases this statistic, and every renter satisfied after a weekend experience has the potential to become a subscriber in the future.
Supervision issues
Turo’s press release extensively uses the terms “autonomous” and “driverless.” It cites its own research showing that 55% of Americans are interested in “driverless technology” during travel, rising to 71% among Gen Z; among Americans interested in this technology, more than one in five are willing to spend seven hours or more in an autonomous vehicle.
However, FSD (Supervised) is not autonomous driving; it is a Level 2 driving assistance system, and the person behind the wheel remains responsible at all times. Even Haddad referred to it as “driving assistance technology” in the same press release.
The renter will enter a car they have likely never driven and use a system they have likely never used. Turo’s safety measures simply recommend that users review Tesla’s FSD documentation and safety guidelines before picking up the vehicle—nothing more.
Two weeks ago, we saw the consequences of overreliance: a driver told California Highway Patrol officers that he fell asleep while using FSD, causing his Tesla to collide with a patrol car in a lane closure area in Fairfield, California, seriously injuring two officers.
Turo also does not specify who is liable in the event of an accident while the vehicle is operating with FSD enabled—the renter, the owner, or Turo’s protection plan.
Electrek's perspective
This is essentially the "Tesla Network," but in a supervised version. Since 2016, Elon Musk has stated that Tesla owners would be able to connect their vehicles to the "Tesla Network" to provide ride services to others and earn income.
This vision has been delayed for years, and their best current option is to combine Turo and FSD.
Indy's popular comments
A few days ago, while driving on the highway, I caught a glimpse in my peripheral vision of a Tesla slowly passing me. I looked closely at the window and saw a woman with both hands on her phone—her entire body hunched over—texting without looking at the road. The car was clearly either in autonomous mode or she was completely absorbed in her phone.
I recognized the irony: I was also staring at someone who wasn’t paying attention, while I myself wasn’t paying attention either. But the reality I ultimately arrived at is that I’m not sure any system can protect those who choose to ignore their own basic security (or the security of others).
I let her pass and maintained my speed. I absolutely did not want to drive in front of the Tesla.
For Tesla, this should help accelerate the adoption of FSD. Using FSD on a weekend road trip is a far more authentic test drive than spending 15 minutes circling the block with a Tesla advisor, and Turo gains a feature no other car rental company offers.
However, although I don’t want to be a buzzkill, I am genuinely concerned about complacency. Turo is marketing “autonomous driving” to travelers, while Tesla still calls its product “Full Self-Driving” in the U.S., even though it has dropped that name in Europe following pressure from German regulators. Placing a tourist who has never used FSD into this context could lead some to treat it as a driver—that’s exactly how you end up with drivers asleep at the wheel on highways.
At the very least, Turo should require renters to complete a brief in-app tutorial before using FSD, and clearly define liability before any issues arise. Tesla, which charges a subscription fee, should have the same requirement.
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