The short answer
Tesla's record shows what was bought; the car's own Software screen shows what it has now. Read both before you pay for it. Full Self-Driving bought outright was, for years, sold as a one-time purchase for the car, and a car that has it is worth more. A subscription ends with the seller. From mid-2023 to March 2026 Tesla also opened windows in which an owner could transfer a purchased FSD to a new Tesla, and it has removed FSD from some cars it resold, so “it came with FSD” can be true of the car's past and false of its present. Since February 2026 Tesla sells FSD only as a subscription.
The three codes that matter
Tesla's per-VIN record carries the Autopilot packages as option codes. APPF is the Full Self-Driving Capability package, the purchase itself. APF2 means the FSD software is active on the car. APFB is what Tesla calls the “Base Autopilot Package”: basic Autopilot, with no FSD active. The combination buyers should learn to spot is APPF together with APFB: the package was bought, and the car is now back on basic Autopilot. That is what a car looks like after its FSD was transferred to another Tesla or removed.
The hardware tell
The record also carries the Autopilot hardware generation, and Tesla updates it when hardware is changed. Hardware 3.0, the FSD computer, was not fitted new before spring 2019 (about March on Model S and X, April on Model 3), so on a 2016 to 2018 car it was fitted afterwards. Tesla does that free for a car with Full Self-Driving bought, and owners who wanted to subscribe have paid for it. A pre-2019 car on hardware 3.0 has an FSD story in its past; whether it has FSD in its present is a separate question.
Enhanced Autopilot is not Full Self-Driving
Listings blur them. Enhanced Autopilot (codes APF1 or APPB) adds Navigate on Autopilot, lane changes, Autopark and Summon. It has been sold as a separate, cheaper package than FSD, and the record keeps them separate. Standard Autopilot (APBS) came with new Teslas from April 2019 and carries no premium; since January 2026 new Model 3 and Model Y in North America come with Traffic-Aware Cruise Control only.
Check inside the car
On the touchscreen, open Controls, then Software. The packages the car currently has are listed there, along with the Autopilot computer generation. An owner can also see purchased upgrades in the Tesla app. If the seller cannot show you Full Self-Driving on that screen, the car does not have it today, whatever it once had.
What the free check shows
The free check on this site answers it in one tile, from Tesla's record, with no account: Full Self-Driving software active, the Capability package on the record, Enhanced Autopilot, Basic Autopilot, or not on the record. When the record shows the package next to basic Autopilot, the line under the tile says FSD is no longer active and how that happens. When the hardware was fitted after the car was built, it says that too. It is the record, not a promise about the car today, and the page says which is which.
Common questions
How can I tell if a used Tesla has Full Self-Driving?
Tesla's record shows what was bought; the car's own Software screen shows what it has now. Read both before you pay for it.
Does Full Self-Driving stay with the car when it is sold?
Not always. Bought outright, it was for years a one-time purchase for the car, but from mid-2023 to March 2026 an owner could at times move it to a new Tesla, and Tesla has removed it from some cars it resold. A subscription ends with the seller.
What does APPF next to APFB mean on Tesla's record?
The package was bought, and the car is now back on basic Autopilot. That is what a car looks like after its FSD was transferred to another Tesla or removed.