Curious about the Tesla Safety Score and how it rates your driving behavior?
In this installment of our Tesla Features Explained blog series, we’re going to look at what the Safety Score does, how Tesla uses it today, how it has changed since the old FSD Beta days, and a few practical tips for keeping your score from getting wrecked by bad driving habits.
What is the Tesla Safety Score?
Tesla originally launched the Tesla Safety Score Beta in 2021 to help determine driver eligibility for the Full Self-Driving Beta test group. That original use case is mostly history now. FSD Beta has evolved into Full Self-Driving (Supervised), and Safety Score is no longer mainly about getting into a beta queue.
In 2026, Tesla Safety Score is better understood as a driving-behavior score. Tesla uses several Safety Factors to estimate the likelihood of a future collision, then converts that into a score from 0-100. A higher score means Tesla’s system believes your recent driving behavior is lower risk.
The score can still be useful as feedback even if it does not affect anything financially for you. But for Tesla Insurance customers in certain states, Safety Score can directly affect monthly premiums. California is the major exception: Tesla Insurance customers in California may be able to view Safety Score for educational purposes, but Tesla says it does not affect California premiums.
Quick note: We are not Tesla, and Safety Score versions, factors, insurance use, and availability can change based on your state, software version, vehicle hardware, infotainment system, and Tesla Insurance status. This article is meant to explain the general system, not predict your personal premium or guarantee how Tesla will score a specific trip.
Tesla currently tells owners to check the bottom of the Safety Score screen in the Tesla app to see which version they are enrolled in. As of 2026, Tesla is rolling Safety Score version 3.0 into Tesla Insurance renewals in multiple states, while some owners may still see version 2.2 or an older version depending on location and policy timing.
The Safety Score factors have changed over time, but the current version centers around the following:
1: Hard Braking
Tesla defines Hard Braking as backward acceleration measured by the vehicle in excess of a set threshold.
This means the score is not strictly based on how hard you think you pressed the brake pedal. It’s based on how quickly the vehicle decelerates. In a Tesla, you can slow down pretty quickly with regenerative braking alone, so the system is really looking for smoother speed management instead of short, abrupt stops.
The practical advice is simple: look farther ahead, leave more space, and start slowing down earlier when it is safe to do so. Obviously, if the choice is between protecting your Safety Score and avoiding a crash, avoid the crash.
2: Aggressive Turning
Aggressive Turning is based on left/right acceleration measured by the vehicle. In normal-person terms, this is about how hard you take corners, lane changes, ramps, and turns.
If you are turning hard enough that passengers are bracing themselves or getting pulled sideways, your Safety Score probably is not going to love that. Taking corners a little slower and accelerating out of them more gradually can help.
3: Unsafe Following
Unsafe Following is based on how much time you spend following another vehicle too closely at speed. Tesla uses vehicle data to estimate following distance and reaction time, not just “car lengths.”
The old rule of thumb about staying several car lengths back is a start, but it does not always work because safe following distance depends heavily on speed, road conditions, and traffic behavior. A gap that feels fine at 30 mph can be sketchy at highway speed.
4: Excessive Speeding
Excessive Speeding is one of the newer Safety Score factors compared with the earliest Safety Score versions. Tesla’s current Safety Score language focuses on time spent over 85 mph or significantly faster than surrounding traffic.
This one is not complicated: spending more time at very high speeds can hurt your score. If you are trying to keep your score high, leave earlier, use cruise control where appropriate, and avoid treating every highway on-ramp like a qualifying lap.
5: Late-Night Driving
Late-Night Driving has also changed over time. Earlier versions used a broader late-night window, but current Safety Score version 3.0 focuses on driving between 11 PM and 4 AM, with different hours weighted differently based on risk.
This factor can be frustrating because you may be driving perfectly well and still take a score hit simply because you are driving during higher-risk hours. If you work nights, travel late, or live a schedule that involves regular late-night driving, this may be one of the hardest factors to avoid.
6: Forced Autosteer or FSD (Supervised) Disengagement
If Autosteer or FSD (Supervised) has to disengage because the driver ignored attention warnings, Tesla can count that against the Safety Score.
This is one of the easiest Safety Factors to avoid because it is almost always about paying attention and responding to the vehicle’s warnings. Keep your hands on the wheel, keep your eyes on the road, and treat Autosteer/FSD (Supervised) like driver assistance—not a chauffeur.
7: Unbuckled Driving
If you drive above the relevant speed threshold with the driver’s seatbelt unbuckled, that can hurt your Safety Score.
This one is also easy: buckle up before shifting out of Park. There’s no good reason to lose Safety Score points over something this simple, and there’s definitely no good reason to drive a Tesla without a seatbelt.
What Happened to Forward Collision Warnings?
Forward Collision Warnings were a major part of earlier Safety Score versions, and they were one of the most discussed factors because owners sometimes felt they were being penalized for false or overly sensitive warnings.
In current Safety Score version 3.0, Tesla’s main public Safety Factors list no longer emphasizes Forward Collision Warnings the same way the early Safety Score Beta did. That is one reason this article needed an update: older Safety Score discussions often focused heavily on FSD Beta eligibility and Forward Collision Warning behavior, while the current system is more insurance/feedback-oriented and has a different factor mix.
That said, Tesla can change Safety Score formulas over time, and some owners may still be on older Safety Score versions depending on state, policy renewal timing, hardware, and software. Always check the version shown in your Tesla app.
How Does Tesla Safety Score Work?
Tesla uses your vehicle’s sensors and software to measure Safety Factors, then combines those factors into a Predicted Collision Frequency, or PCF. That PCF is Tesla’s estimate of how likely a collision may be over a large number of miles based on the measured driving behavior. Tesla then converts that into a Safety Score from 0 to 100.
The Safety Score is viewable as a daily calculation and as an aggregated score over up to a 30-day window. You can see daily breakdowns in the Tesla app, which can be useful if you are trying to figure out why your score went up or down after a specific drive.
For the exact current formula, factor weights, and version details, check Tesla’s Safety Score support page. Tesla has changed the formulas before, and it expects to keep adjusting them as it collects more data.
How does the Safety Score change when Autopilot or FSD (Supervised) is engaged?
In current Safety Score version 3.0, Tesla says Safety Factors are measured against miles driven without FSD (Supervised) engaged. That means your manual driving behavior is the main thing being scored.
Tesla also now shows a “Safety Score with FSD (Supervised)” concept for applicable insurance use. In simple terms, miles driven with FSD (Supervised) engaged receive a score of 100 and are blended with your manual-driving Safety Score based on the percentage of miles driven with and without FSD (Supervised).
There are still important exceptions. Forced Autosteer or FSD (Supervised) disengagements can affect the score, and late-night driving can still matter. Also, if you override driver-assistance behavior by pressing the accelerator, events during that time may still count.
How Does Tesla Use Your Safety Score?
Originally, Tesla used Safety Score to determine which drivers could access FSD Beta. That is no longer the main story. FSD Beta is now known as Full Self-Driving (Supervised), and access is no longer centered around trying to keep a 98, 99, or 100 Safety Score just to get into the program.
Today, Safety Score matters most for two reasons:
- Driving feedback: It gives owners a way to see how Tesla is interpreting their recent driving behavior.
- Tesla Insurance: In states where Tesla Insurance uses Safety Score, it can affect premiums. Tesla Insurance is currently available in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia, but California uses Safety Score for educational purposes only rather than real-time premium pricing.
If you have Tesla Insurance, this can make Safety Score feel less like a fun driving report card and more like a monthly bill factor. Whether that’s good or annoying depends on your driving habits, your schedule, your roads, and how much you trust Tesla’s scoring system.
How to View Your Tesla Safety Score
When Safety Score is available for your vehicle, it should appear on the home screen of the Tesla app. Tesla says you need a supported vehicle/software setup, network connectivity, and at least one trip over 0.1 miles before the score can appear and update.
Tesla’s current support page says Safety Score requires software update 2025.2.6 or later, 2021.24.25 or later for Tegra vehicles, or enrollment in Full Self-Driving (Supervised) version 13.2.8 or later. To receive Safety Score version 3.0, Tesla says the Tesla app must be version 4.55.5 or later.
Can’t find your Tesla Safety Score? Here are a few troubleshooting tips:
- Make sure your vehicle and Tesla app are updated
- Log in as the primary Tesla account owner for that vehicle
- Make sure the vehicle has cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity
- Take at least one trip in your Tesla greater than 0.1 miles and give the app time to update
- If the Safety Score screen is not loading, log out of the app and log back in
- If it still does not appear, check Tesla’s current Safety Score support page to see whether your vehicle, software version, state, or insurance status affects availability
Best Practices to Raise Your Tesla Safety Score
In no particular order, here are some practical ways to improve your Tesla Safety Score:
1: Keep Autosteer and FSD (Supervised) from forced disengagement. Pay attention, keep your hands on the wheel, and respond to warnings before the car forces the system off. This is one of the easiest Safety Score mistakes to avoid.
2: Leave more following distance. Tailgating is bad for your Safety Score, bad for your stress level, and bad for the front of your car. Give yourself room to react, especially at highway speeds.
3: Smooth out braking and turning. Try to anticipate traffic, use regenerative braking when it is safe, and take corners with less drama. This can help your score and make passengers less likely to ask if you’re auditioning for a chase scene.
4: Keep your speed under control. Spending time above 85 mph, or moving much faster than surrounding traffic, can hurt your score. It can also attract exactly the wrong kind of flashing lights.
5: Avoid late-night driving when you realistically can. This one is not always under your control. But if you are trying to optimize your score, driving between 11 PM and 4 AM can work against you.
6: Buckle your seatbelt before shifting out of Park. This should be automatic anyway, but it also keeps you from taking a very avoidable score hit.
7: Don’t treat Safety Score like the entire goal of driving. A high score is nice, and lower insurance premiums are nicer, but you should not make unsafe choices just to avoid a score penalty. Brake hard if you need to brake hard. Avoid the obstacle. Protect the people in and around the car. The squirrels, mountain lions, and your fellow bipeds will thank you.
Looking for a Tesla with FSD, Autopilot hardware, or other specific options? Check out our used Tesla listings and use Find My Electric’s filters to narrow things down faster.