Emails seen by Reuters show Tesla pressed the Dutch vehicle regulator RDW as it reviewed Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software, and that RDW offered to ease parts of the review. Reuters published the investigation on Wednesday, October 7, and Claims Journal republished it the next day. The Netherlands gave the first EU approval of the system, and Tesla is now seeking wider EU approval, which we covered in Germany Backs Tesla Driver-Assist Software for EU Approval.
What the emails show
In November 2024, a Tesla representative wrote to RDW, “Keep in mind that this is mission critical for our leadership,” Reuters reports. In April 2025, a Tesla employee balked at RDW’s breakdown of €365,000 in costs for testing permits, and Tesla said it would hold back payment until it got a more detailed accounting. A week later, an RDW staffer offered to dial back the review’s intensity and invited Tesla to suggest how to reduce the required effort.
How RDW responded
In December 2024, after Tesla complained about travel logistics for an inspector to witness tests, RDW proposed monitoring part of the tests remotely, Reuters says. RDW also agreed to give Tesla the names of its safety drivers and passengers, but only after getting their sign-off. RDW told Reuters it assesses driver-assistance systems from all manufacturers objectively and independently, and that engagement with a manufacturer is a routine part of the process and does not compromise the independence of its assessment. Tesla did not respond to detailed questions from Reuters.
Pressure from outside
Reuters also reports that officials in Sweden and Norway received dozens of emails from Tesla enthusiasts citing claims about the software’s life-saving potential. Musk said in July that delaying approval of the software in France would cost lives, Reuters says, after French minister Philippe Tabarot raised safety concerns. EU-wide approval needs the support of regulators in 55% of member countries representing 65% of the EU’s population, Reuters says. Seven other EU countries have granted Tesla national approvals, Reuters says.
Our take: the emails show a company pressing hard on a regulator, and a regulator that adjusted parts of its process. We only have what Reuters quotes from them, so this is partial evidence, and RDW says its independence was not compromised. Whether the changes affected the safety review is not something these reports can show. The EU vote, which we covered as slipping to December at the earliest, is the next real test.
