A Tesla owner in the United States said he drove more than 11,000 miles without touching the steering wheel using Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) mode, which is an unusually high amount of hands-off driving.
According to Business Insider, Tesla owner David Moss started a road trip on Oct. 28 and by Dec. 31 had over 11,000 miles with zero steering wheel or pedal touches, including for parking and driving to chargers.
Moss, a 28-year-old product manager from Puyallup, Washington, said FSD was the reason he bought the Model 3 and that the electric aspect was secondary, even calling it an "almost an inconvenience."
He also added that he typically drives over 50,000 miles a year for work and that FSD has already handled complex situations like construction zones, reroutes, dirt roads, and even a severe windstorm on the interstate.
It's important to note that his first electric vehicle was the Cybertruck, which he totaled while driving it in off-road mode before buying the Model 3 during a promotional period before the EV tax credit expired.
In recent years, Tesla's sales have slowed due to growing industry competition and backlash to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whose polarizing politics are inseparable from the brand in the eyes of many consumers.
Reuters reported that Tesla lost its title as the world's largest EV maker in 2025 when it delivered about 1.64 million vehicles compared to 1.79 million in 2024, and that this decline happened around the time EV tax credits ended.
Despite industry challenges, practical factors like day-to-day costs, such as charging, still matter most for those wanting to make the switch to an EV. Charging at home is generally much cheaper than using a public charger.
According to EnergySage, where you can compare quotes and save on solar installations, home charging generally costs about half as much as fueling a gas-powered car and is even cheaper paired with rooftop solar panels.
Installing an at-home Level 2 charger can save hundreds of dollars annually. You can get instant installation estimates from Qmerit completely free and can also use tools like the Solar Explorer to connect to vetted installers.
Moss said that while he doesn't test looking at his phone while FSD drives (which is still against the law), he listens to audiobooks, takes calls, and is more relaxed than when he takes Uber rides. The Business Insider report noted that the number of FSD miles was never about setting a record, but rather a personal preference that seems permanent.
"I didn't even check the FSD stat page for several hundred miles before I started seeing people post about it online, saying, 'Oh wow, I've actually not touched the wheel at all,'" Moss told BI.
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