Tesla’s Full Self-Driving technology has been given the green light to operate in Europe for the first time, marking a huge step for Elon Musk’s car brand.
Regulators in the Netherlands handed down the first European approval of Full Self-Driving (Supervised), in a move that could make it easier for the European Union to also adopt the technology.
The Dutch vehicle authority RDW conducted more than 18 months of tests and analysis to ensure the technology was safe for use on its roads.
The FSD (Supervised) feature utilises the vehicle’s external cameras and artificial intelligence to scan the world around the vehicle.
Tesla states that the brand’s collective fleet of vehicles is exposed to more than 500 years of driving data every day, allowing the technology to constantly learn and improve.
In a statement, the Dutch RDW regulator said: “Proper use of this driver assistance system makes a positive contribution to road safety.”
Drivers are expected to be engaged with the vehicle when FSD (Supervised) is engaged, and remain responsible at all times.
Data from Tesla shows that collisions are up to seven times less likely per kilometre driven compared to manual driving alone when FSD (Supervised) is engaged.
Tesla’s self-driving technology has been approved for use in the Netherlands
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Over the coming days, Tesla vehicle owners in the Netherlands will see the FSD (Supervised) technology being rolled out via an over-the-air software update.
RDW stated that the FSD (Supervised) technology that could be used in the EU was “NOT comparable” with the version used in the United States.
Tesla started offering FSD (Supervised) Ride-Along experiences across Europe last year, with more than 13,000 people making use of the service so far.
Taking to social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, Elon Musk said: “First (Supervised) FSD approval in Europe!
Tesla robotaxis are already in operation in Austin, Texas | REUTERS
“Congratulations to the Tesla team and thank you to the regulatory authorities in the Netherlands for all the hard work required to make this happen.”
Tesla’s official European account noted that the technology had been trained on “billions of kilometres of real-world driving data”.
It added that FSD-equipped vehicles can drive “almost anywhere”, including residential roads, city streets and motorways, claiming that “no other vehicle can do this”.
The Tesla Europe account concluded: “We’re excited to bring FSD Supervised to more European countries soon.”
Waymo has started trials of its self-driving vehicles across London
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Mr Musk quoted the post, which included a demonstration video of a Tesla driving in the Netherlands, adding that the FSD technology “handles Dutch roundabouts well”.
Other companies have launched trials across Europe and the UK to accelerate the rollout of self-driving and autonomous vehicles.
Waymo, which is owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet, has been seen trialling its all-electric Jaguar’s across London in recent months ahead of its full rollout of ride-hailing services later this year.
Uber and Lyft have both partnered with Chinese brand Baidu to begin trials of its robotaxis across the capital in 2026.