Tesla has replaced the “Full Self-Driving” name with “Tesla Assisted Driving” across its European websites, including markets such as Spain, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands. The revised terminology also appears in the company’s online owner’s manuals.

The change affects Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance system, which does not provide fully autonomous driving in all situations and still requires the driver to remain attentive. Tesla previously used the longer designation “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” and warned customers that the system does not make its vehicles fully autonomous or eliminate the need for a human driver.

Rebranding follows European approvals

The terminology update arrives about six months after Dutch regulator RDW approved the introduction of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system following a period of testing. Since then, regulators in seven other European Union countries have authorized the driver-assistance functions for local fleets: Croatia, Slovenia, Czechia, Estonia, Lithuania, Denmark, and Belgium.

Slovakia is expected to approve the system soon, although the source does not provide a specific timing for that decision.

Regulators raised concerns about the FSD name

Safety regulators in several countries have described the “Full Self-Driving” name as potentially misleading. The concern is that the wording could give drivers the impression that a vehicle can operate independently in every situation or that they no longer need to monitor the road.

The issue is similar to concerns surrounding Tesla’s “Autopilot” branding. Although the company has included supervised-driving language and warnings in its customer communications, the name itself has remained a point of contention among regulators.

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has been pushing for broader European approval of the system, which he has described as important to the company’s future. The renaming addresses one of the concerns regulators have raised as the technology moves through the approval process.

EU-wide vote delayed

A vote on the technology had been scheduled for this month but has been postponed until December. Introducing the system across the entire European Union would require support from a qualified majority of at least 15 of the bloc’s 27 member states.