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Tesla Renames European FSD Branding to Tesla Assisted Driving After German Pushback

Tesla has renamed its European Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system to Tesla Assisted Driving after German regulators called the original branding misleading, as the company seeks wider approval across Europe.

AI News Feed · 2026-10-10 02:15

Germany's transport minister, Steffen Bilger, said earlier this month that calling the software 'Full Self-Driving' was somewhat misleading because it does not perform the entire task of driving. He spoke with Tesla last month, and the company suggested the name change, according to an official release from the ministry. Bilger said he will now advocate for approval of Tesla Assisted Driving across Europe ahead of an EU-wide vote that could happen later this year. Tesla CEO Elon Musk thanked Bilger on X this week, according to TechCrunch.

On Tuesday, the German Federal Ministry of Transport, known as the BMV, said in a statement that Tesla's 'FSD' brand name was 'somewhat misleading.' The ministry added: 'It is not a system that takes over the entire driving task. Rather, it is a driver assistance system that can support certain driving tasks such as accelerating, braking, and steering. The driver must remain attentive at all times.' CNBC reported that the package is still sold in the U.S. under the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) branding as a $99 per month subscription for Tesla owners.

Musk has spent years pushing for FSD to be approved in Europe, according to TechCrunch. In June 2025, he wrote on X that 'FSD in Europe will save lives of people in the car, as well as vulnerable road users like pedestrians, cyclists, and pets,' and urged users to tell their governments they want approval. In March of this year, he wrote that the EU's 'extreme regulatory burden' 'stifles innovation in Europe,' adding that Europe 'will love Tesla self-driving!' A few weeks later, the Netherlands became the first European country to approve FSD (Supervised).

Reuters reported on Wednesday that Tesla's campaign for European approval has been 'built on faulty company safety research' and 'flawed studies.' The outlet also reported that the Dutch vehicle safety regulator, RDW, faced fierce pressure from Tesla and its online supporters. CNBC, citing Reuters, reported that Tesla's 'browbeating' in some cases pushed regulators to reduce the intensity of their safety tests and reviews of the company's technology.

Tesla's driver assistance software has become more capable over the years. What used to be little more than a mix of lane centering and adaptive cruise control is now a system that some owners use for nearly 100 percent of their daily driving, according to TechCrunch. FSD can pull in and out of parking spots and navigate surface streets and highways. Tesla recently made it possible for FSD to intervene in a human driver's control of the vehicle if it senses an oncoming collision, even if FSD is not active.

But FSD has been at the center of federal investigations and civil lawsuits over crashes in which it was allegedly in use. Its less capable predecessor, Autopilot, has been associated with dozens of fatalities. Tesla discontinued Autopilot earlier this year after a judge ruled the company had engaged in deceptive marketing about the system's capabilities. CNBC reported that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Tesla's FSD to determine whether it is safe for drivers to use in fog, glaring sun or other reduced visibility conditions, and is investigating whether FSD caused Tesla drivers to commit traffic violations, some of which resulted in collisions. In December 2025, a California judge determined that Tesla had engaged in deceptive marketing around its Autopilot and FSD systems, falsely implying they were fully automated driving systems. Tesla has countersued the California DMV to try to shed the 'false advertiser' label in Los Angeles Superior Court, and that litigation is ongoing.

CNBC reported that Tesla is seeking approvals in Europe, where EV sales have been rising this year amid soaring fuel costs caused by the war in Iran, and where Tesla sales have shown signs of recovery from a slump last year. In its second-quarter earnings update, Tesla said it had 1.48 million active FSD subscriptions but did not say how many were activated from free trials or other incentives. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.