In November 2025, Tesla Europe described a route towards introducing FSD Supervised in Europe, with February 2026 presented as an important Dutch milestone. That was not an approval already granted or an unconditional promise from the RDW. In its contemporary response, the authority described a schedule for Tesla to demonstrate compliance, with the outcome dependent on assessment.

Why the Netherlands mattered

Tesla said its European work included extensive demonstrations and testing, with the article citing more than a million kilometres in 17 countries. Such manufacturer figures describe a testing programme; they do not by themselves prove that the system is safer than a human driver under comparable conditions.

The proposed route involved an exemption for new technology under Article 39 of Regulation (EU) 2018/858. It required evidence and regulatory decisions. Describing a provision as an exemption did not mean Tesla could disregard the safety requirements or that permission had already been secured.

The regulatory issues being discussed

UN Regulation No.171, covering Driver Control Assistance Systems, formed part of the relevant European framework. The original article summarised potential points of tension around:

  • Lane changes and overtaking assistance, including the conditions for hands-on or hands-off use.
  • The roads and operating conditions in which assistance could be enabled.
  • System behaviours requiring approval under the applicable framework.

The article described Tesla seeking targeted exemptions instead of simply removing functions. That was a proposed approval strategy, not a finding that every claimed restriction applied exactly as summarised or that the resulting software would be identical to the North American version.

What Dutch approval could—and could not—do

National permission could provide an initial route for use in the Netherlands, but wider acceptance was a separate process. Other member states could make their own decisions where permitted, while EU-wide validity required the relevant European procedure. There was no automatic guaranteed rollout in every country.

  • The historical scenarios discussed included an initial rollout in some states during 2026.
  • A subsequent EU committee decision on the proposed exemption.
  • A possible way through the regulatory impasse, subject to the evidence and decisions required.

The Netherlands was therefore a potential starting point, rather than an already open gateway to unrestricted use throughout the Union.

Tesla’s position on the software

Tesla argued for preserving the system’s capabilities rather than releasing a substantially reduced version. That was its product and safety position, not proof that a different configuration would necessarily be less safe. FSD Supervised remained driver assistance: an attentive driver was still responsible for supervision, even if hands-off operation were allowed in defined circumstances.

FSD tesla

The timetable as it stood in November 2025

The article expected further work with the RDW over the following months and outlined this conditional sequence:

  • February 2026: a target for demonstrating compliance and reaching a decision, not a guaranteed approval date.
  • Spring 2026: a possible initial Dutch customer rollout if the required permission and release conditions were met.
  • Summer–autumn 2026: possible expansion to other countries, dependent on separate regulatory and product decisions.

The proposed route was significant, but the original headline overstated its certainty. At publication, the useful conclusion was that an approval process and timetable existed. Neither EU-wide availability nor equivalence with every North American feature had been guaranteed.

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Giorgio Rebecchi

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Giorgio Rebecchi
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