French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot has refused to approve Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system for public roads, citing critical safety issues.
The decision comes ahead of France's planned 2027 rollout of fully autonomous vehicles.
>>> Jacob Tsimerman Wins Fields Medal for Solving Mathematical Conjectures
Safety Hazards Identified
Regulatory authorities blocked the driver-assistance technology after tests revealed consistent speeding. Tesla's software frequently exceeded speed limits by 40% to 50% when following traffic flow without driver commands.
In real-world tests, vehicles traveled at 70 km/h in designated 50 km/h zones.
Officials also flagged poor performance during complex maneuvers like lane changes, intersections, and roundabouts, where driver attention weakened.
Although marketed as autonomous, the system operates legally in Europe as Level 2 FSD Supervised, leaving full legal responsibility with the human driver.
>>> Ajax Lead Vojvodina 2-1 in Europa Conference League Qualifier
Divergence from European Neighbors
France's stance sets it apart from several European countries that have already approved the system.
On April 10, 2026, Dutch regulator RDW authorized FSD Supervised after 18 months of testing. Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark, and Belgium followed suit.
French transport ministry officials confirmed ongoing talks with Tesla, Dutch regulators, and international partners.
>>> Glasgow to Host Scaled-Down 2026 Commonwealth Games with 10 Sports
The ministry will convene a meeting with France's autonomous driving industry representatives this autumn to evaluate future technical compliance standards.
