HW3 vs HW4 vs HW4+: What Your Tesla Referral FSD Trial Actually Runs On

Key Takeaways:

• Every new Tesla Model 3, Model Y, and Cybertruck sold in 2026 ships with HW4 or the newly announced HW4+ — both support your free 3-month FSD referral trial with full feature parity today.
• HW4+ (also called AI4+) was announced April 23, 2026 with doubled memory versus HW4, built on a Samsung process, and is positioned as the target platform for future Unsupervised FSD capabilities.
• On the Q1 2026 earnings call (April 22), Elon Musk confirmed that HW3 "does not have the capability" for Unsupervised FSD. A "v14 Lite" release for HW3 is planned for June 2026, and Tesla will offer hardware retrofits via new "micro-factories."
• Roughly 4 million existing Teslas are on HW3 — but if you're buying a new Tesla today using a referral code, you are getting HW4 or HW4+, not HW3.
• Your referral benefits — 3 months of free FSD (Supervised) on Model 3, Model Y, and qualifying Cybertruck trims — work identically across HW4 and HW4+.

Last updated: 2026-04-24

Tesla's self-driving hardware lineup just got more interesting. On April 22, 2026, Elon Musk used the Q1 earnings call to confirm what owners had long suspected: Hardware 3 (HW3) cannot run Unsupervised FSD. One day later, on April 23, Tesla announced HW4+ (AI4+) — a refreshed FSD computer with doubled memory, built in partnership with Samsung.

For anyone using a Tesla referral code in 2026 to claim their free 3-month FSD trial, the practical question is simple: which hardware are you getting, and does it matter? The short answer is that every new Model 3, Model Y, and Cybertruck sold today ships with HW4 or HW4+, both of which run the current FSD (Supervised) stack identically. The longer answer — and the one that affects resale value and the eventual Unsupervised FSD rollout — is worth understanding before you order.

The Three Generations at a Glance

Hardware	Years Shipped	Status for FSD (Supervised)	Status for Unsupervised FSD
HW3 (AI3)	2019 – early 2023	Supported via planned "v14 Lite" (June 2026)	❌ Not capable per Musk (Apr 22, 2026)
HW4 (AI4)	2023 – early 2026	✅ Fully supported, current stack	🟡 Expected to support, pending software
HW4+ (AI4+)	Announced Apr 23, 2026	✅ Fully supported, current stack	✅ Target platform going forward

Every new Tesla delivered in 2026 comes with HW4 or HW4+. If you are using a referral code to order a new Model 3, Model Y, or Cybertruck right now, your free 3-month FSD trial will run on the current generation of hardware, not HW3.

Why HW3 Matters (Even If You're Not Buying One)

Musk's comment on the earnings call was specific: HW3 "does not have the capability" for Unsupervised FSD. Tesla's plan is twofold:

1. A "v14 Lite" release for HW3 vehicles, targeted for June 2026. This keeps existing HW3 Teslas on the current Supervised FSD experience.
2. Hardware retrofits through new "micro-factories," with discounted pricing for affected owners. Musk framed this as Tesla's obligation to the roughly 4 million HW3 vehicles already on the road.

If you are buying used in 2026, the HW3 vs. HW4 question is now a real factor for resale value and long-term Unsupervised FSD eligibility. If you are buying new with a referral code, you are already on HW4 or HW4+ — the point is moot for your purchase, but worth understanding for future trade-in decisions.

What HW4+ Actually Changes

Tesla's April 23 announcement of HW4+ (AI4+) confirmed three things:

• Doubled memory versus HW4, giving the onboard neural network more headroom for larger FSD models.
• Samsung as the fab partner, building on Tesla's existing chip-production relationship.
• A clear positioning as the target platform for Unsupervised FSD, the capability Musk said HW3 cannot reach.

What HW4+ does not change is your referral FSD trial experience. The 3-month FSD (Supervised) trial that comes with every Tesla referral code runs the same software stack on both HW4 and HW4+ today. You get the same features, the same v14.x release train, and the same insurance-savings benefit from Safety Score 3.0.

The practical implication: if you were waiting for HW4+ to order, you do not need to. Current HW4 inventory runs the same FSD software. If you are ordering today, you will likely receive HW4 on Model 3 and Model Y, and HW4+ as it rolls into production over the coming months.

How to Check Which Hardware You Have

Tesla does not print HW3/HW4/HW4+ on the Monroney sticker or in the order confirmation, but the rules are simple enough that a three-step check works for almost every buyer:

1. New 2026 delivery (Model 3, Model Y, Cybertruck): You are on HW4 or HW4+. The FSD referral trial works fully.
2. 2024–2025 delivery: You are on HW4. Same referral trial experience as HW4+.
3. 2019–2022 delivery: You are likely on HW3. Your referral trial works today, but Unsupervised FSD will require the retrofit path Tesla is building.

For used-car buyers, the safest verification is to ask the seller to check the vehicle's computer version in the Tesla service menu, or request a screenshot of the "Autopilot Computer" entry from the Tesla app's service screen.

What This Means for Your Referral Code

Nothing changes about the referral benefits themselves. As of April 24, 2026:

• Model 3, Model Y, and qualifying Cybertruck trims still come with a 3-month free FSD (Supervised) trial when you order using a referral code.
• The trial runs on whatever FSD-capable hardware your vehicle ships with — HW4 or HW4+ for all new deliveries.
• Safety Score 3.0 (rolled out April 15) still counts FSD Supervised miles toward a perfect score, which can lower your Tesla Insurance premium by up to 30%.

The HW4+ announcement and HW3 clarification sharpen the picture for the next few years of Tesla ownership, but they do not change the referral-code math for a 2026 new-car buyer. If anything, the HW4+ launch confirms that Tesla is investing aggressively in the hardware platform that powers your free trial.

Bottom Line

If you are ordering a new Tesla in 2026, you are buying HW4 or HW4+. Your referral code still unlocks 3 months of FSD (Supervised) at no cost, worth approximately $297 on its own and more once you factor in the Safety Score 3.0 insurance discount. Don't wait for HW4+ specifically — the FSD software experience is identical on HW4 today, and the referral benefit works the same on both.

Use a Tesla referral code at order time to claim the trial. It applies automatically at checkout, and you'll be on the same hardware platform Tesla is building its Unsupervised FSD future on.