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Policy & Regulation

Germany Backs Tesla's Full Self-Driving but Calls the Name Misleading

Germany's transport ministry is pushing to legalize Tesla's Full Self-Driving while calling the name misleading, and Tesla has offered to rename it "Tesla Assisted Driving" in Germany. Eight European countries have already approved the system.

AI News Feed · 2026-10-09 03:25

Transport Minister Steffen Bilger is seeking to bring the benefits of "innovative driver assistance systems" to Europe as quickly as possible, the ministry said. It has agreed to allow the technology to operate at speeds up to 10 percent above local limits in order to smooth traffic flow, a position that has proven a cause for concern among other European countries. "Minor speeding can contribute to a more even and fluid traffic, depending on the situation," the statement reads.

Eight European countries have currently given the green light to Tesla's autonomous driving system, with a wider European Union rollout expected in 2027.

The ministry said the driver assistance system shows a high level of performance, especially in urban traffic, but ministers are not convinced by the naming. They describe FSD (Full Self-Driving Supervised) as "somewhat misleading" and say it is not a system that takes over the complete driving task. "It is a driver assistance system that can support certain driving tasks such as accelerating, braking and steering. However, the driver must remain attentive at all times," the statement adds.

Tesla has offered to rename the system "Tesla Assisted Driving" in Germany, a move that could be rolled out to further markets in the future.

Controversy has surrounded Tesla's Full Self-Driving for years, with numerous court cases still active in the United States involving accidents and the company's driver assistance systems. The company's avoidance of LiDAR in favor of a camera-only system has been questioned, although the technology has largely been praised for its ability to take care of driving duties and potentially reduce driver fatigue.

Tesla's website states that current features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous, but messaging from the company has been more ambiguous, with suggestions that the technology would soon become "fully autonomous" through over-the-air updates. The Tesla North America X account reposted a video of an owner promoting the self-driving technology in his Cybertruck as it helped with his "eyes getting bad" — a condition that in many countries is itself enough to see a driving license revoked.

In the United States, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has various investigations underway probing safety concerns surrounding FSD. According to TechRadar, a name change of the kind Germany proposes could help clear up customer confusion and prevent over-reliance on the technology.