Tesla’s push to bring Full Self-Driving (Supervised) to Europe continues picking up momentum, with Spain now emerging as one of the most important testing hubs under the country’s new Evaluation of the Safety and Technology of Automated Vehicles (ES-AV) framework. The Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) published updated authorization data this week, confirming Tesla is now approved to conduct nationwide FSD tests across Spain — and under conditions far more permissive than what most European markets currently allow.
Image: DGT
According to the DGT’s listing, Tesla has been granted authorization FVA-03/2025, covering 19 vehicles permitted to operate under the “Automated Tourism (DCAS)” category. Testing runs from November 27, 2025, through November 26, 2027, with the approval explicitly allowing Tesla to operate “unlimited on any national route” throughout Spain. The authorization designates automation level SAE 2 and falls under Phase 3 of the ES-AV program, which, per the DGT’s framework, makes onboard safety operators optional and permits remote monitoring.
Spain launched ES-AV earlier this year to standardize testing from prototype through pre-homologation. As the DGT explains, “The program is designed to complement and enhance oversight, regulation, research, and transparency efforts… and to position Spain as a pioneer and leader in automated vehicle technology.” The agency adds that the ES-AV program aims to support innovation while addressing “shortcomings or negative externalities of the current transportation system.”
Longtime Tesla watcher Kees Roelandschap highlighted Spain’s approval in a post on X, noting that the framework effectively gives the “green light for nationwide FSD testing,” with Tesla leading other participants such as Wayve and Renault.
The move comes as Tesla continues working to secure public approval for FSD (Supervised) across Europe — a process that has faced years of regulatory friction. The system is now available in seven countries globally, with South Korea becoming the latest to gain access. Tesla has even begun asking owners to contact regulators directly to help push approval forward, though recent comments from Dutch authorities suggest a European sign-off isn’t set in stone.
Tesla expects its first European approval sometime in early 2026, but nothing is locked in yet. In the meantime, the company continues broad private testing across the continent. Earlier this summer, Tesla even released footage of FSD navigating central Madrid — a preview of what public availability could eventually bring. Until European regulators give the green light, Tesla is offering FSD ride-alongs throughout December to let European customers experience the latest build from the passenger seat.
With nationwide testing now underway in Spain, Tesla is poised to gather critical real-world data — but it remains to be seen what the company will ultimately have to demonstrate to get FSD formally approved for use across the EU.
