Tesla’s FSD trials wow Europeans as company pushes for EU approval

Tesla has expanded its push for approval of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system in Europe by offering public demo rides in France, Italy and Germany, drawing overwhelmingly positive reactions and encouraging the carmaker to extend the campaign through March 2026.

The program showcases FSD Version 14.1.7 under supervision, a step Tesla hopes will convince regulators that the technology is ready for broader use. European testers, including journalists long skeptical of autonomous driving, described the system as safer, more aware and more capable than expected.

Autonomous driving has swung between excitement and disappointment for more than a decade. Many companies once believed fully autonomous cars would be common by 2020. That optimism faded as the technology failed to mature, and public trust fell with it. Even Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who predicted every year since 2016 that autonomy was near, admitted in January that he had “cried wolf” too many times.

Still, Musk insists Tesla has now made a real breakthrough. The latest FSD V14 software has shown major improvements, with community trackers reporting more than 3,000 miles between critical disengagements—ten times better than the previous version.

Some Europeans doubted that Tesla could deliver real progress after years of missed promises. But the ride-alongs, which began in late November, appear to have shifted perceptions. Testers described the experience as calm, smooth and surprisingly human-like.

Robin Hornig of Auto Bild said the system “sees more than I do,” noting that the car’s 360-degree awareness outperformed his own attention on crowded streets. Paris-based journalist Julien Cadot called the performance “mind-blowing, both for safety and for the humanity of its choices.” Christoph M. Schwarzer of Heise Online wrote that if approved, “it would be the best Level 2 driver assistance system available” in the EU.

For now, every ride includes a safety driver, and Tesla is using a Europe-specific build of the software. The version requires “hands-ready mode,” lacks speed profiles available in North America, and includes text prompts announcing upcoming maneuvers, changes designed to satisfy European rules.

The company has logged more than one million kilometres of FSD testing across 17 European countries. It hopes this record, along with its safety performance, will help move regulators. Musk believes approval could come as early as February 2026, beginning in the Netherlands before expanding across the Eurozone through “passporting” rules.

Regulatory barriers remain the key obstacle. Current EU driver-assistance rules were written for older, rule-based systems and do not match Tesla’s AI-driven approach. Tesla argues that forcing FSD to fit those rules would make the system unsafe or unusable.

Spain has granted limited permission for FSD testing on 19 vehicles under Level 2 supervision. Austria may be next, as Tesla recently advertised for vehicle operators in Vienna to collect driving data for local refinement.

Despite the hurdles, Tesla’s European FSD campaign has gained momentum. With testers impressed, regulators engaged and Musk pushing for a 2026 approval timeline, the company has signalled it is preparing for a broader rollout, once the EU gives the green light.

Read more on Elon Musk’s $26bn old pay deal could wipe out years of Tesla profits, analysts warn