According to foreign media outlet Electrek, Tesla has quietly changed its US referral reward program. Referrals for vehicle purchases no longer provide related benefits; instead, rewards have been switched to FSD (Full Self-Driving) subscription time.
Simply put, using a referral code to buy a Tesla now means neither the buyer nor the seller receives any vehicle-related rewards. The only benefit the referrer can earn is FSD subscription time.
According to the Tesla FSD referral support page, under the new rules, referrers must either be currently subscribed to FSD on a monthly basis ($99/month) or have previously purchased the one-time purchase version before Tesla discontinued it. Only then can they generate a referral link in the "Refer and Earn" section of Tesla App version 4.62.0 or higher. Owners who obtained FSD through a one-year complimentary offer are not eligible to participate.
The referred party must meet a series of conditions: own a registered Tesla vehicle with compatible hardware, have not paid for FSD within the past 12 months, and have not purchased the one-time FSD option. There is also a restriction: owners can only use the referral link 12 months after the FSD trial period included with their new car expires.
If the referred party converts to a paid subscription after the trial, the referrer receives one month of free FSD or $99 in Tesla credits (choose one), while the referred party gets one month of free FSD. Credits expire after 12 months and cannot be cashed out. You can earn rewards up to 12 times per year, meaning you can earn back up to 12 months of FSD or $1,188 in credits annually.
Reports indicate that bigger changes are hidden in the terms on Tesla's Refer and Earn page. Currently, buyer benefits apply only to solar panels, while referrer benefits cover only solar products, first test drives (up to 30 times for life), and the aforementioned FSD referrals.
Model 3, Model Y, and Cybertruck only appear under loyalty benefits, meaning they apply only when existing owners purchase additional Tesla products. Model S and Model X are completely absent from the list.
Tesla's page lists the update date as February 24, 2026, but there has been no official announcement regarding this adjustment. This means Tesla has not yet announced that the referral incentive program for new vehicle purchases has been discontinued.