Tesla has announced that new buyers will no longer enjoy a lifetime of free navigation and connectivity features. The brand has confirmed that after eight years, the navigation system, which is used by the car to plot Supercharging destinations, will only be available by monthly subscription.  The eight year free period begins on the first day a vehicle was delivered as new by Tesla, or the first day it is put into service (for example used as a demonstrator or service vehicle), whichever comes first.

Tesla currently has two different connectivity packages on offer across its four-vehicle lineup. The Standard connectivity package includes integrated navigation and nothing else while the Premium package adds live traffic information, music streaming, Internet browser, video streaming, and Sentry Mode. The standard package has, up until now, been free for the vehicle’s lifetime, while the Premium package is currently £9.99 per month. 

Tesla has yet to announce how much the standard connectivity package will cost after the initial eight year deal runs out. Although a number of other carmakers offer connectivity packages in the same way that Tesla does, moving the car’s basic navigation function to behind a paywall marks a significant development. The Tesla infotainment system doesn’t support either Apple CarPlay or AndroidAuto, which means that drivers wanting to use the main screen for navigation will have to subscribe to Tesla’s service.

Tesla owners use the navigation system to plot routes via Supercharger sites