The Netherlands Becomes First European Country to Approve Tesla’s FSD Supervised
April 12, 2026 – 5:55 pm
In short:
The Dutch vehicle authority RDW approved Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software on April 10, 2026, making the Netherlands the first European country to authorize the system under UN Regulation 171, the EU standard governing driver control assistance systems. This approval follows 18 months of testing, 1.6 million kilometres of European road data, and more than 400 individual compliance requirements.
What the Netherlands Approved
RDW approved version 2026.3.6 of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software under UN Regulation 171, which governs Level 2 vehicle automation. The approval allows drivers of compatible Tesla vehicles in the Netherlands to remove their hands from the steering wheel during appropriate driving conditions while remaining legally responsible for the vehicle at all times and maintaining continuous awareness of the road.
The system ensures this by using:
- Eye-tracking cameras to monitor driver attention
- Visual, audio, and haptic alerts if the driver becomes inattentive
- Disabling FSD Supervised and returning steering control to the driver if no response follows
- Bringing the vehicle to a controlled stop if no response is given
Before using FSD Supervised for the first time, drivers must complete a mandatory tutorial and quiz. RDW emphasized:
A vehicle with FSD Supervised is not self-driving. It is a driver assistance system, and the driver remains responsible and must always maintain control.
The Regulatory Path Ahead
The Netherlands approval serves as a regulatory foundation for other EU member states. Each national approval body can independently recognize the RDW decision without a European Commission vote. Tesla expects Germany, France, and Italy to follow suit within weeks, with full EU-wide recognition targeted for summer 2026.