New Test Proves You Can't Trust Tesla's Vision-Based Park Assist Yet

Maneuvering a pricey vehicle in tight spaces or new environments can be anxiety-inducing. If you care about your car, making sure it's parked right is part of everyday life. It'll eat a couple of minutes of your time each day.

Fret not; driving is a complicated venture. That's why various corporations have a hard time developing autonomous cars that can do everything a human does. Operators claim these systems can be better at driving than people with a driver's license, but they have a long way to go before reaching that stage.

Fortunately, technology also exists to give us a helping hand, not just to relieve us of our driving duties. But Tesla decided to temporarily diminish its vehicles' capabilities that help its customers park faster and easier without risking scuffs, scratches, or dents.

Last year, in early October, Tesla announced that all its new Model 3 and Model Y would no longer come with ultrasonic sensors (USS). It was a bold move, one that wasn't very well received by people awaiting their orders. Four months later, the more expensive Model S and Model X followed suit.

It was estimated that Tesla saved around $110 per vehicle after ditching the little parts that fire an invisible sound wave to measure distance by turning the reflected sound into an electrical signal. They're simple and precise.

The sum Tesla saved by going with cameras may not seem like much at first glance or worth the hassle and the bad PR, but in the grand scheme of things, it helped it increase profit margins. The Texas-based automaker manufactured 920,508 EVs in the first half of 2023. That amounts to approximately $100 million pocketed in just six months. The savings will only continue, especially after the refreshed Model 3 debuted with a simpler build.

But here we are. Almost a year has passed since that decision was taken, and a new test proves that you still cannot make decisions based on the information the camera suite sends to the computer.

Paying more attention is paramount

Two Model Ys running the V11.1 software version (2023.26.9 build widely released in late August) are put head to head. One has USS, the other doesn't.

The findings showed that the camera-based Park Assist isn't good at detecting obstacles, people, walls, or fences when the car is moving forward. The absence of a bumper camera hinders the system's efforts to understand what's in front of it and warn the driver promptly.

It's a shame that Tesla didn't want to put one on the facelifted Model 3. That signals the brand's intent to continue with its current suite. Maybe the pricier Model S and Model X will debut it when they're eventually updated.

Vision-based Park Assist can't even measure the distance right when the driver is very, very close to hitting a parked car. It also won't detect a person sitting still right in front of the vehicle.
Backing into parking spaces or reversing nets better results because Tesla put a rear camera on all its EVs.

But the most important thing pointed out by the comparison below is that the Model Y equipped with USS is still using the sensors and is much better at measuring distances and giving useful indications or warnings to the driver.

Still, it's worth pointing out that the footage below doesn't mean all Tesla vehicles will behave the same. The brand has some tricks up its sleeve, and it could occasionally improve the system based on your driving behavior and the data it collects about the frequently visited areas.

Nonetheless, if you want to buy a used Tesla and turn it into a commuting appliance, it's better to look for one with USS. It might take some time before the automaker fine-tunes the camera-only Park Assist to work well in most scenarios.