Tesla Seeks EU Approval as Researchers Question Safety Evidence

Tesla is seeking EU-wide approval for its supervised Full Self-Driving system as national approvals expand, while safety researchers question whether the evidence Tesla submitted demonstrates that the technology reduces crashes. The bloc-wide decision remains pending, and no EU vote had been held as of October 7, 2026. The Netherlands and seven other EU countries have granted national approvals for the system. Those decisions do not amount to approval across the entire bloc. A vote by the EU’s Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles, which would determine whether broader approval advances, has been delayed; reports say another opportunity could come in December 2026. Tesla has presented FSD to European authorities as a safety-enhancing technology and argued that wider availability could save lives. Seven traffic-safety researchers consulted about Tesla’s submitted material said its methodology or claims were misleading or insufficient to show that FSD prevents fatal crashes. Their assessments were reported through an investigation that examined Tesla’s safety evidence; the underlying data and Dutch trial results are not fully available for public scrutiny.