Tesla Claims Full Self-Driving Is Coming to Europe Soon. Regulators Say Nope

• Tesla said a European regulator is committed to approving Full Self-Driving in 2026. 
• But that agency, the Netherlands’ RDW, disputed that claim. 
• Rolling out Full Self-Driving in Europe could represent a vast new revenue stream for Tesla as the company pivots away from a pure car business. 

Tesla took to X over the weekend to say that the Netherlands’ automotive regulatory body had “committed” to approve Full Self-Driving for the country in February of next year. That, Tesla said, would pave the way for its flagship driver-assistance feature to spread across the EU—a milestone in its efforts to eventually spread autonomous driving tech far and wide. 

RDW, the safety regulator in question, has a different read on the situation. According to a statement it posted to its website that was spotted by Bloomberg, it hasn’t committed to anything of the sort. 

“Both RDW and Tesla are aware of the efforts needed to reach a decision on this matter in February. Whether this timeline will be met is yet to be determined in the coming period,” RDW said in the statement. 

“The RDW has drawn up a schedule with Tesla in which Tesla is expected to be able to demonstrate that FSD Supervised meets the requirements in February 2026,” it added. So Tesla will take a key step toward getting FSD approved in February, but whether its application actually gets approved is TBD.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has slammed the slow approval process for Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance features in Europe, claiming that the system is already smarter and safer than a human driver. “Very frustrating and hurts the safety of people in Europe,” Musk said in an X post last year. 

FSD is programmed to pilot a Tesla along any route a driver chooses, while navigating traffic signs and other road users. But it isn’t fully autonomous, as drivers still need to pay attention while the system is engaged.

Tesla has promised for years that the software is just a game-changing update away from delivering full eyes-off autonomy, but that hasn’t happened yet on a large scale. Tesla operates a driverless robotaxi service in Austin using Model Ys, and plans to eventually expand that to other regions while granting regular owners the ability to drive eyes-off. 

Since releasing the software to beta testers years ago, Tesla has caught flack for testing unproven software with amateur drivers on public roads. That was possible under America’s comparatively lax vehicle safety standards. 

In Europe, however, that wouldn’t fly. The EU is much stricter and more prescriptive about officially approving vehicle features before they hit the road. Tesla says that once the Netherlands grants Tesla an exemption and approves FSD, other EU countries can quickly follow suit. 

Getting FSD approved in Europe—and China—would be a big deal. The software costs $8,000 as a one-time add-on, or $99 per month on a subscription basis. Especially as Tesla’s core car business declines, raking in more FSD subscriptions from more regions around the world could boost the company’s top and bottom lines. 

So it makes sense that Musk and Tesla have encouraged European owners to pressure their local regulators, including RDW, to give FSD the green light. But RDW says Tesla owners shouldn’t bother. 

“We thank everyone who has already done so, but would like to urge people not to contact us about this matter,” it said in its Monday statement. “It takes up unnecessary time for our customer service. Furthermore, this will have no impact whatsoever on whether or not the schedule will be met.”

Contact the author: Tim.Levin@InsideEVs.com