Emails between Tesla and Dutch road regulator RDW reveal the automaker sought written assurance that its Full Self-Driving (FSD) safety data would never be made public.
The correspondence, dating back to late 2024, shows Tesla argued that releasing the material would expose its commercial secrets.
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RDW granted FSD approval in April and has since advocated for its adoption across the European Union.
However, the regulator refuses to disclose how it reached its decision, citing the need to protect Tesla's company secrets.
This stance has drawn criticism from safety experts.
Oliver Carsten, a transportation-safety professor at the University of Leeds, told Reuters that it is in the public interest for RDW's testing and analysis details to be published.
Frank Mutze of the European Transport Safety Council echoed this, saying the public must trust that RDW "have done their homework" without the information.
Exaggerated Safety Claims
In June, it emerged that Tesla had shared inflated FSD data from the United States with numerous EU regulators, including RDW.
The data overstated FSD's safety by comparing crash rates of FSD vehicles that triggered airbag deployments to federal crash rates for all vehicles, including those in less-severe accidents.
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Tesla also compared its cars to the average US vehicle, which is over 12 years old, without acknowledging that newer cars are significantly safer.
RDW maintains that it did not rely on Tesla's data in its approval, stating it conducted its own "extensive testing" of the technology.
An email from April 2025 shows Tesla sought clarification that RDW would "never" release a document related to FSD.
RDW says it decided to withhold information on its own accord to protect Tesla's trade secrets, not due to Tesla's request.
Other European regulators are also keeping FSD testing data confidential.
Authorities in six countries, including Germany, Denmark, and Norway, say they will not release data on FSD testing, including information provided by RDW.
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As FSD appears increasingly likely to gain widespread approval across the region, consumers may have to trust regulators' assurances that the system is safe.
