MKBHD Ranks Tesla's FSD Best Among Assisted Driving Systems, Adds 'It's Not Perfect'

Popular tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee, aka MKBHD, on Tuesday, posted a video testing assisted-driving modes from multiple automakers to zero in on Tesla Inc‘s TSLA full self-driving technology (FSD) as the best among the lot.

What Happened: Brownlee tested Tesla’s FSD technology, Ford’s BlueCruise, General Motors’ Supercruise, Mercedes Benz’s Drive Pilot, and BMW’s assisted driving technology between May and December 2024, and ranked them in a SABCD ranking system.

While the YouTuber ranked the systems of Ford, Mercedes, and BMW together as C-tier, he ranked GM’s BlueCruise upon testing it on the Chevrolet Silverado EV in the B-tier.

For Tesla’s FSD, Brownlee gave it an A-tier rating after testing different versions of FSD on the company’s Model 3 sedan and its Cybertruck electric pickup.

Tesla’s FSD, he noted, works on more roads than the other four and will even try to navigate by itself out of a parking lot. The others, in comparison, work mostly only on highways.

Why It Matters: Tesla’s FSD technology ain’t perfect either, Brownlee noted in his video.

“It’s not perfect and it does have some room to grow and it’s a little bit skittish sometimes and it’s not always up to date with speed limits,” Brownlee said.

The YouTuber conducted his tests in the period between May and December with different versions of the systems and the performance of each of the systems might be different today than when he tested.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously expressed optimism about Tesla achieving vehicle autonomy with future versions of its FSD software. Last year, he said that the company would start deploying self-driving Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in Texas and California for ride-hail in 2025. FSD, however, currently requires active driver supervision.

Safety Probes Into FSD: In October, U.S. auto safety regulator National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles following reports of four crashes where its full self-driving (FSD) partial driving automation system was engaged.

The regulator then said that it had identified four crash reports in which a Tesla experienced a crash after entering an area of “reduced roadway visibility” with FSD engaged. The reduced visibility, the regulator said, was caused by sun glare, fog, or airborne dust.

In one of the crashes, the vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian, the regulator added.

On Tuesday, NHTSA opened another probe into about 2.6 million Tesla vehicles equipped with the company's full self-driving driver assistance technology following a complaint alleging that the use of its "Actually Smart Summon" feature led to a crash.

Actually Smart Summon refers to a feature that allows a user to remotely move the vehicle towards themselves or to another nearby location such as a parking lot through the company's phone app.

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Photo courtesy: Tesla