🔥 Trending France Blocks Tesla FSD: Concerns Over Speeding and Driver Attention

As of July 2026, France has officially declined to approve Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) (Supervised) software for use on its roads ²⁴. This decision was announced by French Minister of Transportation Philippe Tabarot, who cited significant safety concerns ⁴.

Key Reasons for France's Rejection

The French government's refusal is primarily based on the following issues:

• Speeding Concerns: Regulators are worried about the system's potential to encourage or allow speeding ¹⁶.
• Insufficient Driver Attention: France believes the FSD system, particularly in urban environments, fails to ensure adequate driver attention during complex maneuvers such as navigating roundabouts or changing lanes ⁵. This contrasts with Tesla's recent moves to relax driver monitoring in some FSD versions ⁵.
• Overall Safety and Validation: The French authorities require more safety validation before they are willing to authorize the technology ²⁸. They emphasize that the current safety trade-offs are not yet sufficient ⁴.
• EU-Wide Approval Preference: Minister Tabarot has indicated a preference for an EU-wide sign-off on FSD technology, rather than individual country approvals ¹. This suggests France is looking for a harmonized regulatory approach across the European Union.

Broader Context and Implications

This decision places France in contrast with some other nations, like Greece, which appears to be moving towards approval of FSD ³⁷. The French government's stance highlights broader concerns about the safety and legal responsibility associated with advanced AI-driven autonomous driving systems ⁶. Discussions between French authorities and Tesla are ongoing ².