Tesla has secured its first European approval for its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system
Last week Dutch regulators gave the green light to Tesla’s (TSLA) self-driving software, allowing it to be used on highways and city streets with a human driver present. This marks a significant milestone for Tesla as it aims to expand its FSD technology across the European Union.
The Netherlands’ approval of the Full Self-Driving Supervised system, which can steer, brake and accelerate, follows over 18 months of testing and evaluation by the Dutch vehicle authority RDW.
RDW emphasised the positive impact of proper use of this driver assistance system on road safety. They also announced plans to submit an application for the technology to be used throughout the EU.
RDW highlighted that EU vehicle approval standards impose stricter safety requirements compared to those in the United States. This means the FSD Supervised version in the US is not comparable to the EU version. However, RDW did not provide further details.
Excited about the potential, Tesla expressed its intention to bring FSD Supervised to more European countries soon. They announced plans to begin rolling out the technology in the Netherlands shortly.
Widespread adoption of full self-driving is a key component of Tesla’s long-term growth strategy. A substantial portion of its $1 trillion valuation is based on CEO Elon Musk’s belief that AI-driven autonomous software and robotaxis will become a major revenue source.
As of the pre-market trading session, Tesla shares were down 0.48% at $347.31. The company’s shares have experienced a significant decline of nearly 22% year-to-date.
Not the same as the US version
Handily teslarati.com compiled a table below that captures the most significant differences between US-based Tesla FSD vs. European Tesla FSD that’s based on what regulators and Tesla have publicly confirmed. See more at teslarati.com
| Feature | FSD US | FSD Europe (Netherlands) |
| Regulatory framework | Self-certification, post-market oversight | Pre-market type approval required (UN R-171 + Article 39) |
| Hands requirement | Hands-off permitted on highway | Hands must be available to take over immediately |
| Auto turning from stop lights | Available — navigates intersections, turns, and traffic signals autonomously | Available in EU build — confirmed in Amsterdam demo footage handling unprotected turns and signalized intersections |
| Driving modes | Multiple profiles including a more aggressive “Mad Max” mode | EU build is more conservative by default and errs on the side of restraint when it cannot confirm the limit |
| Summon | Available — Smart Summon navigates parking lots to driver | Status unclear — not confirmed as part of the RDW-approved feature set; urban FSD approval targeted separately for 2027 |
| Driver monitoring | Camera-based eye tracking | Stricter continuous monitoring with more frequent intervention alerts |
| Software version | FSD v14.3 | EU-specific builds that must be separately validated by RDW |
| Geographic restriction | US, Canada, China, Mexico, Australia, NZ, South Korea | Netherlands only; EU-wide vote pending summer 2026 |
| Subscription price | $99/month | €99/month |
| Full urban FSD scope | Available | Partial — separate urban application planned for 2027 |
Track FSD rollout in EC
Link to a site showing latest updates on the deployment and regulatory issues with FSD.
