France has launched tests involving two vehicles to assess Tesla’s advanced driver assistance system, Full Self-Driving. Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said the move could bring Europe a step closer to approving Elon Musk’s autonomous driving technology. The road test phase follows months of technical discussions between French authorities and Tesla.
Minister Tabarot had previously expressed concerns that the system’s safety measures were insufficient, particularly regarding speed limit compliance and ensuring driver attentiveness in complex urban situations such as roundabouts. The current tests are intended to provide France with independent data to verify information from Tesla and Dutch regulators ahead of a possible EU-wide vote on the system’s approval.
Divided approach among EU countries
While France conducts its assessment, Tesla’s FSD system is already permitted for use in five other European Union countries: the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia and Lithuania. These national approvals were granted after a temporary type approval was issued by the Dutch vehicle authority in April 2026. France and other large markets, however, preferred to wait for a harmonised EU-wide decision rather than act unilaterally. The next possible vote by the Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles is expected in October 2026.
The FSD system, which still requires an attentive human driver, is classified as a Level 2 driver assistance system under international SAE standards. EU regulations, such as the General Safety Regulation, provide the legal framework for approving such technologies and are intended to ensure high safety standards across the bloc. Tesla is actively demonstrating the system’s capabilities, gathering data from millions of kilometres driven on European roads to support its position.
Securing approval in Europe is of great importance to Tesla. France has not yet decided whether to approve the system on its territory ahead of the EU-wide vote. Minister Tabarot did not rule out that, if the tests yield positive results, France could support the approval of FSD at the EU level. The tests are expected to last several weeks, and their results will be presented to the relevant authorities before the October meeting of the technical committee. The Dutch vehicle authority has not commented on the ongoing assessment in France. Tesla has not directly responded to the tests, but has previously stressed that its system is safe and can improve road safety. The decision on whether to approve FSD across the European Union could have significant implications for the further development of autonomous driving technology on the continent.
