Dutch regulators announced on April 11, 2026, that the RDW has approved Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised for use on public roads in the Netherlands. The approval follows “over a year and a half of testing” and makes the Netherlands the first European country authorized to use FSD Supervised on its road network, according to The Verge. The decision is being implemented through a software update—version 2026.3.6—that has started rolling out to a limited number of users.
What was approved: FSD Supervised as a driver-assistance system
The RDW framed the approval around driver assistance rather than autonomy. In its statement, the RDW said that “Using driver assistance systems correctly makes a positive contribution to road safety because the driver is supported in their driving tasks; it is a supplement to the driver.” The regulator emphasized continuous oversight: “Through continuous strict monitoring of the driver in the vehicle, the system is safer than other driver assistance systems.”
FSD Supervised is positioned as a system that supports the driver while the driver remains responsible, with the vehicle monitoring the driver continuously. The approval is tied to the system’s ability to enforce a monitored workflow where driver attention and engagement are part of the safety framework.
Version 2026.3.6 enables the approved behavior. The update has started rolling out to a limited number of users. Drivers must watch a tutorial and take a quiz before self-driving can be enabled. This requirement functions as a gating layer designed to reduce misuse and reinforce proper use of the system.
Safety requirements: training, quizzes, and explicit warnings
Tesla’s FSD Supervised includes a reminder that it “does not make your vehicle autonomous. Do not become complacent.” This safety messaging is integrated into the user experience.
The requirement for explicit user training and comprehension checks serves as an auditable element of deployment. The workflow—tutorial plus quiz prior to enabling—indicates that the RDW’s approval process is designed to align user behavior with the intended operational design of the feature.
The Netherlands is approving a monitored driver-assistance feature with onboarding requirements and explicit non-autonomy warnings. If other jurisdictions adopt a similar approach, it could shape how supervised autonomy features are rolled out across Europe, particularly where regulators require evidence that drivers understand the boundary between assistance and autonomy.
European regulatory milestone
The Netherlands is the first European country to authorize FSD Supervised on its roads. According to The Verge, this approval “could open the door to wider adoption throughout the EU.” Regulators elsewhere may treat the RDW decision as a reference point.
The staged rollout to a limited number of users suggests a phased deployment approach rather than immediate nationwide availability. This allows Tesla to manage performance, gather feedback, and monitor safety-related signals as the feature expands.
The RDW’s emphasis on continuous strict monitoring of the driver indicates that the approval is not only about the vehicle’s driving behavior but also about the human-in-the-loop mechanism. If other countries follow the Netherlands, they may place additional emphasis on driver monitoring—potentially influencing how onboard cameras, attention detection, and driver-state models are validated and maintained.
Context: US regulatory scrutiny
Tesla’s FSD has faced scrutiny in the United States, including an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that could lead to a recall. Tesla also recently ended an investigation, though the specific details were not provided in the source.
This context shows how supervised autonomy is being evaluated under different regulatory regimes. The RDW’s statement explicitly argues that continuous driver monitoring makes the system “safer than other driver assistance systems,” suggesting the regulator treats monitoring capability as a key differentiator in safety evaluation.
The same technology—driver-assisted driving marketed under the FSD umbrella—is being evaluated through safety oversight mechanisms on both sides of the Atlantic. This may require careful documentation of system limitations, robust monitoring behavior, and clear user-facing controls.
What to watch next
Several elements from The Verge‘s report stand out for future monitoring: the staged rollout of FSD Supervised version 2026.3.6 to limited users; the requirement that drivers complete a tutorial and quiz before enabling; and the RDW’s emphasis on continuous strict monitoring as part of the safety framework.
The source indicates that the Netherlands approval “could open the door to wider adoption throughout the EU.” If other EU regulators treat the RDW decision as a template, supervised autonomy features could expand across borders—provided they meet similar criteria around driver responsibility and monitoring.
In the near term, the most concrete signal will be whether the limited-user rollout expands beyond the initial group and whether the same enabling workflow (tutorial, quiz, and explicit reminders about non-autonomy) remains consistent as distribution increases.
Source: The Verge