As a dark grey Tesla glides along one of Amsterdam's narrow canals, the most striking detail is not the car's shape or sound but the absence of hands on its steering wheel. The vehicle is operating under Tesla's supervised full self-driving (FSD) system, newly authorized in the Netherlands this month in what regulators describe as a European first for use on city streets.
For supporters like Kees Roelandschap, who navigated the vehicle through the Dutch capital's tight lanes, the experience is transformative. "Ive driven multiple different versions in the U.S. But to be able to experience it firsthand here in the Netherlands - thats unreal," he said while seated behind the wheel as the car traversed Amsterdam. Roelandschap added that the version approved in Europe appeared to incorporate more stringent safeguards than the U.S. equivalent and argued that, if adopted continent-wide, it "will lead to increased safety."
Under the system's operating rules, the car can steer, brake and accelerate without the driver keeping hands on the wheel. A human driver must remain attentive and ready to intervene at any moment. The approval in the Netherlands comes ahead of a European Union discussion scheduled for May on whether to authorize the technology more broadly, a move that follows safety investigations of FSD in the United States.
Local reactions reflect Amsterdam's complex traffic environment
Responses among Amsterdam residents and officials have been split. The citys streets are shared by trams, trucks, a dense stream of bicycles, e-bikes, larger "fatbikes" and an increasing number of small electric cars, creating a highly dynamic traffic mix that some argue presents special challenges for automated driving systems.
"Cyclists are flowing through traffic, swarming around, going left and right, crossing each other," said Esther van Garderen, head of the Dutch Cyclists Union, cautioning that the Netherlands presents unique conditions for self-driving vehicles and that she and her colleagues were "not fully assured that these self-driving cars will understand the (road) behaviour."
At a city council meeting following the national decision to approve FSD, Amsterdam transport alderwoman Melanie van der Horst said the municipality had not been part of the regulatory process and would be monitoring the roll-out closely. She noted that because a supervising driver is required, "we dont need to panic," and that the technology could bring safety benefits. "(However) I can definitely imagine that this raises quite a few concerns and reactions," she added.
Data and public safety context
The debate around the new approval is taking place against a backdrop of rising road fatalities in the Netherlands. Government statistics agency CBS reported that road traffic deaths increased 6 percent to 759 in 2025, with collisions involving cars and cyclists or pedestrians contributing to the rise. That statistic informs both proponents and critics views on whether automated systems can improve outcomes in mixed-traffic settings.
Local resident Paul ten Cate expressed optimism, saying: "I think safety will be much better because the (self-driving) cars will keep their distance." He added, "I think it will actually be nicer for cyclists to have self-driving cars around."
Practical demonstrations and user experience
During a demonstration in Amsterdam, Roelandschap showed how the vehicle prioritizes driver attention: after he looked down at his lap rather than the road for an extended moment, the system issued an alert and slowed the car to a stop while activating its hazard lights. The feature is designed to reduce the risk posed when supervising drivers lose focus.
Roelandschap said he had not yet encountered a truly difficult road situation during his drives in the city: "We have a lot of cyclists trying to overtake us, cyclists coming towards us, cyclists coming from the left. Whats dangerous here?"
Market and policy dynamics
Tesla is positioning driver-assistance features as a mechanism to help counter a slowdown in its European sales, a trend the company attributes in part to the polarizing public commentary of its chief executive. Despite that, Tesla remains popular in the Netherlands, where Model 3 and Model Y vehicles number roughly 100,000 on local roads. That market presence may influence how quickly the technology becomes visible to everyday road users.
Amsterdam itself has taken measures in recent years to discourage car use and promote cycling and public transport - actions that include closing certain roads to through traffic, raising fees, removing parking spaces and imposing a 30 km per hour speed limit on most streets. Those municipal policies shape the environment into which supervised FSD vehicles are being introduced and are central to local discussions about safety and mobility.
Concerns about complexity in dense urban settings
Not everyone is convinced that the system is ready for Amsterdams tourist-heavy, pedestrian-filled streets. Nina Smiljanic, riding an electric bicycle with her dog on a leash, said she could see the technology working "well in one-way highway traffic, but less so in busy Amsterdam." She added: "Here in the streets, with all the tourists doing unpredictable things, I think the AI still needs to adapt. Maybe in America or on the highway its fine, but here Im not convinced yet."
As the Netherlands becomes the first European country to permit supervised FSD on city streets, officials, cycling groups and everyday road users have signaled a willingness to observe the technology in practice while retaining reservations about its performance in a uniquely complex urban environment. With the European Union due to weigh broader authorization in May and U.S. safety reviews ongoing, the next months are likely to be formative for the future of near-autonomous driving in Europe.