They haven’t hit the streets of Austin this summer (and still aren’t free from human operators), but apparently there’s been enough work on the Tesla Robotaxis that there are reports about the cost of making a mess of it, from breakage to spilled coffee to a stinky vape. While the fees don’t seem overly strict, there’s enough ambiguity in these terms that you might want to guess what it brings to one of these vehicles.
In accordance with Inside EVs and @sawyermerrit on X, Tesla could charge a passenger $150 for what, according to Merritt, the company is looking at for “high pollution, like biowaste or smoke in the car” which is currently only available in parts of Austin. Minor offenses such as “food spillage, significant contamination and minor stains” result in a $50 fine.
Those charges are not listed on Tesla’s Robotaxi Rider Rules page except for an “additional charge” at “Tesla’s discretion.” Merritt, however, says that Tesla will assess any additional cleaning required after a passenger’s trip and add a fee that it determines is appropriate through the operator’s app.
Charged users can reportedly dispute their charges by calling the customer support number.
In terms of fairness, the closest comparison is Waymo, a service with far more cars on the road, all of which can operate without a human aboard—which could mean a greater sense of privacy and a resulting lax attitude toward hygiene. Waymo charges $50 if the passenger remembers “self-reporting their waste while on board.” However, an incident that goes unreported, uh, to Waymo can result in a fine of up to $100 from the company for a first violation and, “up to cleanup costs and your account status may also be affected,” for a second violation.
And Waymo puts smoking or vaping in a separate category of infringement. Waymo issues a $100 fine for the first offense and, like Tesla, reserves the right to charge for cleanup and have your account suspended if there are any subsequent smoking-related charges. For better or worse for riders, however, except for smoking, Waymo doesn’t compartmentalize the concept of “chaos” like Tesla.
Uber, which has launched a limited, human-supervised self-driving taxi in Dallas ahead of an autonomous version planned for 2026, also does not explicitly specify the terms of Robotaxi’s damages in its code of conduct or payment terms. Uber’s information page for the service’s non-driving riders simply states that for all rides, “riders are responsible for injuries inside or outside the vehicle caused by incidents such as cleaning or food spills,” which are paid in full by the driver.
Zoox, on the other hand, is relatively new, operating in Las Vegas with a waiting list forming in San Francisco. At the moment, it is not clear how much it can charge the user, but it may charge you not only if the mess is left by you or your group, but also if another passenger reports a previous mess, and you failed. The company says, “it may determine in our discretion that you or your guests have caused damage.”
If you choose to drive yourself in a rental car, this fee is still better than Hertz’s $400 smoking fine and compared to Turo’s $150 fine for spilled liquids or pet hair, for example.
All of these cost comparisons are important because the so-called robotics gaining momentum in 2026 will continue to be driven by their operators as autonomous although they require different levels of human intervention, including sometimes paying gig workers to close locked doors. And Tesla’s vision for self-cleaning car interiors from a 2023 patent is still on paper.
That still leaves people picking up after you, your pet or your drunk friend.
