Tesla's Autopilot is falling behind as other software catches up

• Consumer Reports ranked the best advanced driver-assistance systems on the market.
• Tesla's pioneering Autopilot feature was beaten out by several technologies.

Tesla, a pioneer in the world of high-tech cars, fell in Consumer Reports' latest ranking of advanced driver-assistance systems released on Wednesday.

The nonprofit organization evaluated 12 technologies that combine adaptive cruise control (ACC) and lane centering assistance (LCA) to aid with highway driving. The systems, which are becoming increasingly prevalent in the auto industry, keep a vehicle in its lane while slowing down and speeding up with the flow of traffic.

They don't make vehicles self-driving, of course, but can make driving safer and less stressful.

Ford's BlueCruise (ActiveGlide in Lincolns), which allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel on approved highways, nabbed the top spot. General Motors' similar Super Cruise feature came in second place. Mercedes-Benz's tech took third.

Tesla Autopilot fell to seventh place this year, from second in 2020. That's because Elon Musk's automaker hasn't made significant changes to Autopilot's core functionality in years, Consumer Reports said. It's mainly focused on adding features.

"After all this time, Autopilot still doesn't allow collaborative steering and doesn't have an effective driver monitoring system. While other automakers have evolved their ACC and LCA systems, Tesla has simply fallen behind," Jake Fisher, the organization's senior director of auto testing, said in the report.

Consumer Reports judged the features based on five criteria: ease of use, capability and performance, keeping the driver engaged, unresponsive driver, and clear when safe to use.

Driver-assistance tech isn't the only area where Tesla is losing ground. Though it's still by far the dominant electric car seller in the the US, automakers like General Motors, Ford, Hyundai, and Polestar are eating away at its market share as they release new and appealing models. Tesla accounted for roughly 65% of electric car sales in 2022, down from 79% in 2020.