Tesla recently tested its Full Self-Driving software for 195,000 kilometers across France, and the company recorded no notable incidents during the 121,700 miles of driving. More than 60% of this testing occurred on urban and rural roads. The French government refused to authorize the system for public use in late July 2026.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot explained the decision in a public statement, saying the technology brings some advances, but the safety tradeoffs are not yet enough to justify approval. He pointed out two main problems with the software. The car can go 50% over the speed limit to match local traffic, and the internal camera system fails to check if the driver pays attention at roundabouts or during lane changes.
Waiting for the European Union
French regulators want a unified European safety framework before they allow the software on local roads. This approach differs from several neighboring nations. The Netherlands gave provisional approval for the system in April 2026. Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark, and Belgium soon followed the Dutch lead to approve the software. Tesla owners in those five countries drove over 50 million kilometers using the system by mid-July.
France has 260,000 Tesla owners waiting for access. They might wait longer since the European Union Technical Committee vote could slip into 2027. Tesla extended its supervised passenger ride-along program in nine French cities through September 30, 2026, so people can experience the software. CEO Elon Musk criticized the French government on social media, arguing that delaying the approval “Delaying the approval of FSD in France will cost lives”.
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