Drivers of the electronic cars will again be able to set the self-driving features to break the speed limit, even on undivided roads

Tesla owners will be able to ask the robot that drives their car to break the speed limit, again, following a software update pushed out to users over the weekend.

The new software changes the way the autopilot function works on Tesla cars equipped with it. The brand covers a suite of advanced safety features, from lane assist, which keeps the car in the correct lane when driving on motorways, to adaptive cruise control, which allows the car to match speeds with the vehicle in front.

In December, a software update was pushed out which limited the speed on roads without a central divider: cars could not be set to go faster than the speed limit. At the time, Tesla Motors’ chief executive, Elon Musk, said that there was “no major precipitating event” for the change, but that “people in general were going a bit too fast on winding roads”.

Now, that update has been reversed, allowing Tesla Motors owners to return to breaking the speed limit. The car is still capped at five miles per hour faster than the limit on non-divided roads, however.

On highways, the limit is rather higher: autopilot can be set up to 90mph, regardless of the actual speed limit on the road.

Tesla owners, many of whom had expressed irritation at the original limiter, responded to Musk’s confirmation of the change with glee. “Yay! I can keep my car!,” wrote one. “Looks like owner outrage and certain well known people tweeting Tesla does in fact get results,” said another owner on Reddit.

The Guardian asked Tesla whether it approves of owners commanding their personal robots to drive them faster than the law permits.

In a statement, the company said: “Autopilot is designed as a hands-on experience to give drivers more confidence behind the wheel, increase their safety on the road and make motorway driving more enjoyable by reducing the driver’s workload.

“Tesla vehicles are constantly evolving in their capabilities and features sets. With the current feature set, Tesla Autopilot is classified as Level 2 automated system. Until full autonomy is reached, the driver is responsible for and must remain in control of their car at all times.”