Tesla debunked by regulator over Full-Self Driving approval claim

Over the weekend, Tesla's official X account for the European market was elated over Dutch regulator RDW's approval of the company's Full Self-Driving driver-assistance system for the EU.

One problem. RDW says this isn't true. In an update, the regulator said it has not committed to giving Tesla approval regarding FSD. Also, they'd like Tesla fans to please stop contacting them about it, too.

"RDW has committed to granting Netherlands National approval in February 2026," read the celebratory yet apparently premature post from Tesla's X account. "Please contact them via link below to express your excitement & thank them for making this happen as soon as possible."

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And, as mentioned in its post, Tesla even provided a link to the regulator's contact page so Tesla fans could thank RDW.

On Monday, RDW posted a statement to its website specifically addressing the X post from Tesla. According to RDW, the regulator did put together a schedule alongside Tesla, which states the company must show that FSD Supervised meets the regulatory safety requirements in February 2026. RDW specifies that while it won't divulge specific details, Tesla is aware of what it needs to demonstrate in order for FSD to be approved at that time.

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Furthermore, it appears Tesla fans did contact RDW regarding FSD approval, as the regulator had to specifically request that Tesla supporters stop calling and wasting their time. RDW also explicitly mentions in its statement that any contact with the regulator from Tesla fans will have no influence on RDW's decision regarding FSD approval, as a decision will be purely dependent on road safety concerns.

So, was the Tesla post an attempt to pressure RDW into giving Tesla the approval it desires?

As Bloomberg points out, Musk's statements during Tesla's annual shareholders meeting earlier this month strongly point to that possibility.

“Pressure from our customers in Europe to push the regulators to approve would be appreciated,” Musk said in the meeting.

Despite rolling out Full Self-Driving in the U.S. and a few other countries years ago, Tesla has not been able to do so in Europe. According to Elon Musk's EV company, Tesla's "main path to success is partnering with the Dutch approval authority RDW to gain exemption for the feature." According to TechCrunch, approval with RDW is a critical first step toward wider approval throughout the EU.