This is how the public demonstrations will be

For years, the Full Self-Driving of Tesla has been a promise that advanced at different speeds depending on the country and the regulatory framework. In Europe, that future has always seemed a little more distant, but now it is beginning to take shape with concrete decisions. Tesla is not yet talking about a complete deployment, but it is talking about something tangible: allowing the public to see the system in action in Spain, while the company maintains its forecast of launching the function in Europe in early 2026.

Countdown to try FSD in Spain. What Tesla has put on the table is a public and limited experience, designed to show the system as it works today. Starting January 26, customers in Spain will be able to see Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in action through tests organized in selected brand stores. The company has confirmed that these demonstrations will take place in Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Valencia, Seville and Malaga, and that the sessions can now be booked through its website. It should be noted that this is not a general activation of the system, but rather an opportunity to observe it under controlled conditions.

Why now. The announcement of the demonstrations does not come in isolation, but at a time when the regulatory framework is beginning to show signs of progress. In Spain, the General Directorate of Traffic authorized at the end of 2025 tests on public roads with 19 vehicles equipped with FSD, a phase aimed at collecting data and adapting the system to European traffic. Added to this previous work is the continental context, with demonstrations already carried out in countries such as France, Italy or Germany.

Another promise from Elon Musk. From Davos, Elon Musk said today that the company expects to obtain approvals for the supervised FSD in Europe “next month.” And here the Netherlands comes into play: the Dutch authority RDW expected to rule on the software in February, and Tesla has defended that this approval could facilitate recognition in other EU countries before formal approval at European level.

Advanced assistance, not autonomous driving. Despite its commercial name, Full Self-Driving (Supervised) does not turn the car into a vehicle that drives itself. In the documentation that Tesla distributes about the systemthe company insists that it requires active driver supervision and does not make the vehicle autonomous. In other words, the system can take over driving tasks, but it does not replace the driver, and legal responsibility during its use is not delegated to the car.

What FSD can do. In its current state, Full Self-Driving (Supervised) acts as an advanced assistant capable of performing multiple driving maneuvers on its own. According to Tesla, the system can follow routes to a destination, navigate urban streets, highways and residential roads, manage intersections and roundabouts, and automatically control steering, acceleration and braking. The company also mentions lane changes, turns and highway entrances and exits, in addition to functions related to parking, always with the driver attentive and prepared to intervene at any time.

Tesla highlights safety. In its communication, Tesla accompanies these demonstrations with usage figures and safety claims. On the one hand, it maintains that Tesla owners have traveled more than 11 billion kilometers around the world with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) activated. On the other hand, it ensures that, when activated and used with active driver supervision, the system “reduces the risk of serious collisions up to seven times”, a statement that the company itself presents with notes and conditions of comparison.

The last pending challenge. In any case, the main condition for a broader deployment in Europe remains the same: regulatory approval, which Tesla recognizes as a prerequisite. That is why these in-store tests fit better as a controlled demonstration and a thermometer of what is to come than as a definitive arrival.

Images | tesla

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