Tesla has officially rolled out a new cleaning fee policy for its Robotaxi service to help keep the vehicles clean as usage continues to slowly ramp up. The new policy, discovered by Sawyer Merrit, introduces a two-tiered fine structure to penalize riders who leave the vehicle in an unacceptable condition.
This new policy replaces the prior policy, under which Tesla would contact riders on a one-on-one basis to address cleaning fees, and instead provides a standardized structure for basic cleaning.
Fee Structure
Tesla’s support documentation now lists two distinct tiers for cleaning fees.
The first fee, $50, covers moderate messes. This applies to food spills, significant dirt, and minor stains. Essentially, out of the ordinary messes that could probably have been avoided.
The second fee, $150, covers severe messes. Tesla describes this as including biowaste or smoking inside the vehicle, but also other severe messes.
How It Works
Tesla states that their goal is to provide a clean and comfortable environment for all riders. That means keeping its vehicles clean. If a vehicle is flagged as requiring additional cleaning after a trip, they’ve built a process to inform riders.
Tesla will conduct an assessment to examine the type and severity of the mess. Once that’s completed, riders will receive a notification stating that a cleaning fee has been assessed for a ride.
An updated ride receipt reflecting the extra charge will appear in the Ride History section of the Robotaxi app. In the updated receipt, riders will see a charge for cleaning fees.
While Tesla has already shown that it plans to automate the cleaning process with the Cybercab, today’s Model Y robotaxis are very likely cleaned by a hand.
This robot sucks pic.twitter.com/VUmGfCM5B3
— Tesla (@Tesla) January 31, 2025
Dispute Process
Interestingly, the dispute process for cleaning fees is handled via a phone call, rather than an in-app button or message. Users who believe a charge was made in error are instructed to call the Tesla Robotaxi Support Team to resolve the issue.
