'The decision is deeply troubling': Tesla gets a green light for Full Self-Driving in Europe but not everyone is happy about it

Date:
Mon, 13 Apr 2026 16:39:00 +0000

Description:
Teslas Full Self-Driving system has just been approved in Europe for the
first time, but critics have called the decision "deeply troubling" here's why.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member
features. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter After years of regulatory red tape, FSD goes live in Europe It is only legal in the Netherlands, but more regions could follow Some safety campaigners say the decision is deeply troubling Over the past 18 months, Tesla has been working with the Dutch vehicle approval organization, RDW, to get approval
for its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) semi-autonomous driving system.

After a long consultation period, which included covering almost one million miles with FSD (Supervised) active and offering ride-along trials with 13,000 people in numerous European countries, the RDW deemed the technology safe to be given the green light. Teslas controversial CEO, Elon Musk, has long-promised to introduce the partially autonomous cruise control system to other markets outside of the US, where it has been on sale for years. But the company has regularly butted up against regulatory red tape. Article
continues below You may like Two more high-profile Tesla crashes spark fresh Full Self-Driving controversy Tesla will no longer sell customers Supervised full self-Driving as a one-off payment option Teslas Robotaxis are crashing four times more than human drivers

According to a press statement put out by Tesla to promote its European
debut, the company says that when FSD (Supervised) is engaged, collisions are up to "seven-times less likely per kilometer driven compared to manual
driving alone".

However, safety campaigners, such as Dan ODowd of The Dawn Project , reiterates that 59 people have been killed in over 3,000 crashes involving Teslas self-driving software in the U.S. since 2021 alone.

"The RDW's decision is deeply troubling given Tesla FSD's myriad of well-documented safety defects," ODowd adds.

What's more, the companys Robotaxis, which use a similar hardware suite that relies on the vehicles external cameras and artificial intelligence to navigate the world, as opposed to a plethora of radar and Lidar sensors like rivals, have made the headlines because data suggests they crash four times more often than the average human driver, according to Fortune . Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

In a bid to bolster its safety credentials, Tesla has made a number of
changes to its software for the version that will go on sale in the Netherlands.

Not a Tesla App reported that those customers that had first-hand ride-along experience with Euro-spec FSD (Supervised) noticed that it differed to the technology found in the US.

Dutch owners will have to pass a mandatory safety quiz before FSD activates, for example, while the 'Sloth' to 'Mad Max' speed profiles in the US version have been ditched in favor of more straightforward 'Max Speed' setting in the Netherlands. What to read next I took a ride in an Nvidia-powered autonomous Mercedes at GTC 2026 - and survived Waymo is set to launch its London pilot this month, heres what you need to know Tesla wins licence to supply UK electricity but it won't get a smooth ride Analysis: Europe will be watching closely (Image credit: BMW) While it is easy to think that the recent ruling in the Netherlands will automatically open the door for FSD (Supervised) to
be used in the rest of Europe, it is highly likely that many other markets will continue to exercise caution.

Even RDW , the organization that gave the green-light to FSD (Supervised|) in the Netherlands, says that the system is not "self-driving," adding that the "driver remains responsible and must always remain in control."

This confusion with messaging used to promote the technologys capabilities
has caused plenty of problems in the US, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launching an investigation into the safety of the technology.

Recently, it escalated its probe to "Engineering Analysis", which it says
will evaluate the systems ability to operate in reduced roadway visibility.

All the while, Elon Musk continues to promote the fact that every iteration
of the FSD software will far exceed human levels of safety" and that users will soon be able to text and drive , when realistically, its simply a Level
2 semi-autonomous cruise control system that is also offered by the likes of Ford and BMW . Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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