November 29, 2025 – Tesla is stepping up its efforts to bring its Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology to the European market.
The company is set to launch FSD test rides in Germany, Italy, and France next month, marking another significant move towards the official rollout of this advanced driver-assistance software in Europe.
According to Tesla’s official website, these FSD trial experiences will allow European users to ride as passengers and witness firsthand how the FSD system operates during the test drives. Tesla has stressed that while the system is capable of autonomous operations in nearly all driving scenarios, human drivers are still required to maintain supervision.
FSD has been available in the United States since 2022, but Tesla has faced a slow and arduous journey in expanding it internationally.
On Saturday, the company posted on social media platform X, stating that after more than a year of intensive efforts, it expects to receive approval from the Dutch Road Traffic Authority (RDW) by February 2026. However, the regulatory body quickly responded, noting that while it has a plan to complete the approval process by that time, “whether this timeline will be met remains to be seen.”
Additionally, the RDW has called on Tesla enthusiasts to stop contacting the agency. Previously, Tesla had encouraged European car owners to reach out to the RDW to “express their strong anticipation for FSD,” leading to a flood of users contacting its communication channels.
Over the past few months, Tesla has been conducting on-road FSD tests in multiple European countries and has released videos showing vehicles autonomously navigating through busy streets in Rome and around the Arc de Triomphe roundabout in Paris.
It’s worth noting that Tesla CEO Elon Musk has repeatedly publicly complained that Europe’s bureaucratic system has slowed down the deployment of the company’s autonomous driving technology. During a quarterly earnings call in July this year, he described the company as being stuck in a “Kafkaesque” regulatory labyrinth and predicted that once regulatory approval is obtained, Tesla’s sales in Europe will rebound significantly.
Tesla is in urgent need of such a growth boost. Due to public backlash following Musk’s open support for the German far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) and intense competition from Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD, the company has seen a sharp decline in sales in Europe this year. According to the latest data released by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), in October 2025, Tesla’s sales in Europe plummeted by nearly 50% year-on-year, while BYD’s sales surged by over 200% during the same period.
