THE HAGUE, 7 April 2026 — The Netherlands has approved a supervised self-driving system developed by Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA), becoming the first European country to allow the technology to operate on public roads.
The Netherlands Vehicle Authority, RDW, said the driver assistance system had undergone extensive testing before approval.
“This driver assistance system has been extensively researched and tested for over a year and a half on our test track and on public roads,” RDW said in a statement, adding that proper use of the system can make “a positive contribution to road safety”.
Driver Remains Responsible
The regulator emphasised that vehicles equipped with Tesla’s full self-driving (FSD) supervised system are not fully autonomous and remain classified as driver assistance technology.
This means the driver must stay attentive and maintain full control of the vehicle at all times.
“When the system detects that the driver is insufficiently alert, various signals are triggered, requiring the driver to demonstrate attentiveness,” RDW said.
RDW also noted that Tesla’s FSD systems in Europe differ from those in the United States, as European vehicles run on different software versions with varying functionality.
Potential Expansion Across Europe
The approval could pave the way for broader adoption across the European Union. RDW said it will submit an application to the European Commission, after which EU member states will vote on whether to permit the system across the bloc.
Experts, however, cautioned that the technology may introduce new risks alongside potential safety benefits.
Marieke Martens, professor of automated vehicles and human interaction at Eindhoven University of Technology, said the impact on road safety remains uncertain.
“Traffic safety could shift. Such a system can prevent human errors, but perhaps new errors will also arise, which humans will then still have to correct. In that case, it actually adds an extra task to driving,” she said.
