Mad Max Mode is the most aggressive driving option among five speed profiles available to Tesla owners. The other options are Sloth, Chill, Standard, and Hurry. According to early reports, Mad Max Mode enables vehicles to exceed posted speed limits by 15 miles per hour or more. The system also performs more frequent lane changes and shows aggressive acceleration patterns, particularly at stoplights.
Tesla’s marketing describes the feature as driving “like a sports car” for drivers who are “running late.” The company positions it as offering higher speeds and more frequent lane changes than Hurry Mode. Users who’ve tested it report that vehicles maintain speeds well above legal limits consistently. YouTube demonstrations show the mode operating without requiring driver intervention during initial testing. The feature is part of Tesla’s optional FSD capabilities that allow for more aggressive driving styles.
Tesla markets Mad Max Mode as sports car-like driving for tardy drivers, enabling consistently illegal speeds and minimal intervention requirements.
However, the feature has sparked serious safety concerns. Early reports document vehicles performing rolling stops—driving through stop signs without fully stopping—while in Mad Max Mode. This echoes a previous problem that forced the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to recall FSD Beta in 2022 for the same rolling stop violations. The reintroduction of Mad Max mode during ongoing regulatory scrutiny demonstrates Tesla’s confidence in the feature despite these documented violations. Tesla has also faced ongoing disputes regarding misleading FSD information that has prompted regulatory agencies to question the company’s transparency about its autonomous capabilities.
Regulators have responded quickly. The NHTSA contacted Tesla in late October 2025 to gather information about Mad Max functionality. The agency emphasized that drivers remain “fully responsible for driving the vehicle and complying with all traffic safety laws.”
Meanwhile, the California DMV launched a parallel investigation into Tesla’s systems. The NHTSA is currently reviewing 58 reports of FSD-related traffic violations.
It’s important to note that Mad Max Mode operates on a Level 2 driver assistance system. This means the system requires constant human supervision and isn’t fully autonomous. Despite Tesla’s claims about reaching Level 4 autonomy eventually, current technology still needs drivers paying full attention and ready to take control at any moment. Tesla’s system monitors driver attention via torque sensors and cameras to ensure operators remain engaged while using these features.
The reintroduction of Mad Max Mode during ongoing regulatory investigations raises questions about Tesla’s approach to autonomous driving safety.