Investigating the Tesla Robotaxi!

MKBHD rides Tesla Robotaxi and Waymo back-to-back in Austin and finds both competent but geofenced, early, and nowhere near ready to drop safety drivers.

• Tesla Robotaxi uses stock Model Y with decals and a required human safety monitor in the passenger seat — no custom hardware.
• Waymo (Jaguar iPace) felt ~25% less aggressive than Tesla but had no one in the car, which MKBHD calls a major UX advantage.
• Tesla dropped off a passenger mid-intersection in one documented ride; MKBHD personally saw Tesla overshoot his pickup by ~50 yards.
• Waymo missed embedded road sensors at Austin intersections, causing it to block traffic until a human driver tripped the sensor.
• Waymo costs significantly more to build than a stock Jaguar iPace due to extensive lidar and sensor hardware covering even the sunroof.
• Tesla is running SF tests with FSD enabled but legally must keep a human in the driver seat — safety monitor still present.
• Both services are geofenced to small downtown Austin zones, no highway use, and MKBHD frames them as very early on the capability curve.

2025-08-08 · Watch on YouTube