Tesla (TSLA) pressed Dutch vehicle regulator RDW to reduce work on its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) assessment, according to emails obtained by Reuters for a report published on October 7, 2026. European drivers have a stake in that review: the Dutch approval on April 10, 2026, opened a route toward wider EU permission for the driver assistance system.
The correspondence shows requests that went beyond speeding up paperwork. Tesla argued that its reports should replace an inspector’s attendance at certain tests, and RDW proposed watching some testing remotely. Tesla also questioned whether a meeting to scrutinize wireless software updates was necessary.
In April 2025, Tesla disputed a €365,000 bill covering five months of permits, technical work and other services, demanding detailed staff costs before paying. A week later, an RDW employee invited suggestions for reducing the work required.
RDW told Reuters that contact with manufacturers was routine and did not weaken its assessment’s independence or thoroughness. Tesla did not answer Reuters’ detailed questions. Redactions obscure parts of the exchanges, limiting what can be established about individual tests.
Approval still requires driver supervision
RDW’s own account adds useful context: it says its assessment included more than 3,000 hours of testing and independent checks of Tesla’s analysis. It also increased required safety reporting from annual to monthly after approval, allowing further investigation or measures against the manufacturer.
For owners, the boundary is clear. RDW says FSD-equipped cars aren't autonomous: drivers remain responsible and must be ready to intervene. It also cautions that European and US software versions cannot be compared directly.
Wider EU approval remains pending and requires a member state vote on the Dutch application to the European Commission. Reuters reported on September 25 that the expected October vote had been delayed, with the next apparent opportunity for a decision no earlier than December 2026, according to an agenda published on the EU’s website.
Since this story was published
Tesla has renamed its European FSD offering Tesla Assisted Driving, BASENOR reported on October 8. Tesla’s UK support pages now use Tesla Assisted Driving and Tesla Assisted Driving Basic as package names. (BASENOR, Tesla)
Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport said on October 6 that Minister Steffen Bilger would advocate prompt EU approval following an agreement with Tesla in September. The ministry said Tesla offered the new name and agreed to limit the system’s speed allowance to a maximum of 10 percent above posted limits, with drivers retaining full responsibility. (Federal Ministry of Transport)
Sources
- 1.Special report: Tesla is browbeating the EU to approve its ‘Full Self-Driving’ tech. The pressure is working · Reuters, syndicated by Devdiscourse
- 2.RDW explanation of European type approval Tesla with provisional validity in the Netherlands · RDW
- 3.Explanation of the type approval of FSD Supervised · RDW
- 5.EU vote on Tesla's supervised self-driving system pushed back · Reuters, syndicated by Euronext
Reported by the WattsUpNext desk from the sources linked below. Spot an error? Tell us at corrections@wattsupnext.com.
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