Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software has been put to the test in a head-to-head comparison between Hardware 3 (HW3) and Hardware 4 (HW4) by Devin Olsen of the Canada FSD YouTube channel. The goal of the test was to determine if the older hardware could keep up with the latest technology as Tesla moves towards unsupervised driving.
During the test loop, it was found that while HW3 is still highly capable, it lacks some of the advanced features and finesse that HW4 offers. The HW3 vehicle encountered navigation errors, such as entering a one-way path it couldn’t reverse out of, while HW4’s faster processing and better cameras allowed it to perform complex maneuvers with ease, such as reversing into parking stalls and navigating tight supercharger locations.
Despite the strengths of HW4, it was not without its flaws. The test revealed that the HW4 car struggled with a parking job at a Walmart, coming close to touching a line and requiring a convoluted approach that a human driver could have handled more efficiently. However, overall, HW4 was deemed to offer a more confident and smoother driving experience, feeling more like a human driver compared to HW3.
Tesla is currently facing a hardware split, with the latest FSD v14.2.2.5 now available for HW4 vehicles, introducing Self-Driving Stats and improved gesture recognition. The upcoming v14.3 update in April is expected to bring a new reasoning engine and the Banish feature, allowing the vehicle to pick up or drop off passengers while they shop.
On the other hand, HW3 vehicles are currently capped at v12.6.4, as the newer v14 stack requires more processing power than the older AI3 chips can handle. Tesla is working on a specialized v14 Lite version targeted for a late June 2026 release to bring newer features to the older fleet.
For Tesla owners considering an upgrade, the test suggests that HW4 is the clear choice for future-proofing, as Tesla focuses its engineering efforts on the newer platform. While HW3 still performs well, HW4 offers a more advanced and smoother driving experience.
In conclusion, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software continues to evolve, with HW4 leading the way in terms of advanced features and capabilities. As Tesla pushes towards unsupervised driving, HW4 is the recommended choice for Tesla owners looking to stay ahead of the curve.