Slovakia Becomes 9th European Country to Approve Tesla FSD
Rollout begins with Hardware 4 vehicles using a European build of FSD v14, fine-tuned for local driving rules.
Slovakia has officially approved Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software for public roads, becoming the ninth European nation to grant this authorization. Tesla Europe confirmed the decision on X, stating that the supervised autonomy feature will begin rolling out in the country soon.
What Happened
The approval marks Slovakia as the latest country to independently sanction Tesla’s autonomy stack, joining the Netherlands, Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark, Belgium, Slovenia, Czechia, and Croatia. Most of these national approvals have been granted through exemptions that recognize the regulatory framework initially established by Dutch regulators. Slovakia follows its neighbor Czechia, which approved the software in September, as well as Croatia, which also received approval later that same month. Across the globe, FSD is now approved in 17 countries.
Why It Matters
The rollout in Slovakia is expected to begin with Hardware 4 (HW4) vehicles running Tesla’s European build of FSD v14. This specific software version is fine-tuned for local conditions, including speed limits, lane-change rules, and roundabout conventions. The move underscores Tesla’s strategy to secure individual national approvals while it pursues broader EU-wide authorization. The EU vote on bloc-wide approval, previously delayed to December, requires a qualified majority of at least 15 countries in favor. With nine countries already on board and Germany signaling support—contingent on specific naming and speed limit conditions—Tesla still needs at least six more votes to reach the threshold. France and Sweden continue to oppose bloc-wide approval, citing concerns over the Speed Offset feature, which can allow the vehicle to exceed posted speed limits.
The Bottom Line
Slovakian Tesla owners should start seeing the software, now rebranded in Europe as Tesla Assisted Driving, in their vehicles over the coming weeks. Tesla remains in talks with Italy, while Ireland is nearing its own decision, as the company works to meet the 15-country requirement for the December EU vote.
