Tesla strips Basic Autopilot from Netherlands configurator
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- Tesla removed Basic Autopilot from its Netherlands online configurator, making the country the first European market where the free driver-assistance tier is entirely absent from new orders
- Dutch buyers can only access FSD (Supervised) via a €99/month subscription, a €7,500 one-time purchase, or "Add later" — with the one-time purchase option expiring May 15, 2026
- The move follows the Dutch RDW's type approval of FSD Supervised under UN R-171 last month, making the Netherlands the first European country to greenlight the system, with Tesla rolling it out to owners since mid-April
- Other European markets (Germany, France) still list Basic Autopilot as included free, but Tesla has set a May 21 deadline for one-time FSD purchases across those markets, signaling a broader subscription-only transition
- Competitors including Toyota, Hyundai, and Volkswagen include active lane-centering as standard on models priced well below a base Model 3, which starts at €36,990 in the Netherlands
- In January, Tesla mirrored this move in North America, cutting standard Autopilot from new US orders so vehicles now ship with only Traffic-Aware Cruise Control unless buyers subscribe to FSD
Why it matters: Dutch Model 3 buyers paying €36,990 now get only GSR2-mandated emergency lane-keeping unless they pay €99/month for FSD, while similarly priced competitors from Volkswagen and Hyundai include active lane-centering at no extra cost. With Tesla's May 21 deadline for one-time FSD purchases across other European markets, the Netherlands is a preview of a continent-wide paywall shift as more countries grant FSD regulatory approval.
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