Summary
Germany says Tesla has offered to rename its FSD driver-assistance system as Tesla Assisted Driving while European approval discussions continue. The ministry says drivers must remain attentive and responsible for vehicle control.
Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport said on 6 October 2026 that Tesla had offered to rename its “FSD – Full Self-Driving Supervised” system “Tesla Assisted Driving.” The offer came during discussions about European approval of the driver-assistance system; the ministry says the approval procedure is still under way.
The ministry considers “Full Self-Driving” misleading because the system does not take over the complete driving task. It can assist with functions such as acceleration, braking and steering, but the driver must remain attentive. The ministry says responsibility for safe vehicle operation remains with the person driving.
What was discussed in the approval process
Transport Minister Steffen Bilger said he had spoken with Tesla in September and that the two sides had reached a constructive understanding. Germany is coordinating on the procedure with the Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt), the Dutch type-approval authority and Tesla.
One point of agreement concerns speed: the ministry says the system may exceed the applicable maximum speed by no more than 10%. Germany has indicated that it will support this approach in the European process. The ministry’s stated rationale is that small, situation-dependent exceedances could help traffic move more evenly.
The ministry also says the discussions examined questions about particular system functions and liability. It describes the system as performing strongly in city traffic based on findings to date, but gives no performance measurements in the announcement.
Approval is not yet final
Germany says it will support continuing the European approval process with the aim of making the system available across Europe promptly while maintaining high safety standards. That is support for moving the review forward, not a report that approval has already been granted.
For drivers, the ministry’s description makes the distinction between assistance and full automation central: a proposed change of name does not change the stated responsibility of the person at the wheel. The announcement identifies the system as driver assistance, with the driver required to stay attentive and responsible for safe driving.