Self-Supervised
Tesla’s so-called Full Self-Driving system finally got a “Supervised” suffix in 2024, as the automaker continued to face pressure for overstating its capabilities.
But this step, while both overdue (and perhaps not curative enough), hasn’t made the nominally SAE Level 2 system more acceptable to road safety agencies in Europe, where Tesla has faced a far more functional regulatory environment than exists in the US.
The EV maker now appears to be in the midst of a renewed marketing push for the system, and its efforts aren’t confined to the US.
Just over a week ago Tesla announced that Full Self-Driving (Supervised) was due to be approved by Dutch regulator RDW in February 2026, potentially paving the way for EU-wide certification, and revealed a program of test drives in a number of European cities, seemingly eager to market the system to owners.
However, Tesla’s enthusiasm was short-lived as RDW quickly countered with a statement–as first reported by Bloomberg–denying an assured green-light for the system and indicating only that tests of the system were scheduled thus far.
“We do not share details about pending applications from manufacturers because this is market and competition sensitive information,” the agency said in a statement. “We can, however, mention that 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.”
And a positive outcome for Tesla is still not guaranteed.
FSD itself has faced no shortage of controversy in the US since its debut as a system positioned above the standard Autopilot, but one that at its core is still SAE Level 2, thereby requiring driver attention to the road at all times. A recent NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation has focused on over 40 reports of traffic violations and a number of crashes linked to the system, including instances of driving into oncoming traffic.
While FSD is available to Tesla owners in six countries including the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia, China, and New Zealand, one major region where it hasn’t been permitted thus far is the European Union.
But what is at stake for Tesla likely goes beyond mere EU approval and concerns a wider crisis the automaker faces in Europe.
At the moment, Tesla offers FSD for $8,000 as a one-time purchase, or on a subscription basis for $99 per month.
The EU represents an important challenge for Tesla when its vehicle sales in the bloc are sliding due to an influx of new EV brands from China. Growth in the EU could also offset problems in the US as questions continue to mount regarding Tesla’s future vehicle plans, or lack thereof.
FSD also faces a technological challenge in the next few years in the US as well, as its rivals ready eyes-off SAE Level 3 systems that will not require driver attention to the road at all times, thus permitting texting, reading, or even Youtube viewing — the Holy Grail of the morning commute.
At the moment they are far from market-ready and might only be permitted in a handful of states at first, with Mercedes-Benz remaining the sole automaker with a Level 3 system stateside, permitted in California and Nevada.
But Cadillac is certainly working on such a system with a tentative 2028 launch. And Chinese automakers are working on systems of their own, one which Tesla has reason to expect will eventually land in Europe.
In the past Tesla has hinted that FSD will become more capable in the future, but its recent reliance solely on cameras has introduced some doubts into its ability to deliver a reliable Level 3 system in the longer term. By contrast, most of its competitors with Level 3 aspirations use lidar, radar, cameras, and ultrasonic sensors.
For now, Tesla’s FSD (Supervised) ambitions in Europe are still at the mercy of a skeptical EU bureaucracy.
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December 5, 2025
Peter Hughes
December 5, 2025
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