Spain okays full-scale Tesla FSD trials under ES-AV, enabling driverless cars. 19-vehicle fleet could speed robotaxis by 2026 in major cities, including Madrid.
Spain has become the first European market to authorize full-scale trials of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system on public roads. With the ES-AV regulatory regime taking effect in July 2025, the country has moved to the most advanced testing phase—no operator at the wheel, with remote oversight. Tesla quickly secured approval to operate 19 vehicles across Spain, without restrictions on routes or time of day, a detail that should expose the software to the edge cases that ultimately matter.
This shift turns Spain into a key hub for gathering data to train the FSD neural network. Millions of kilometers can now be accumulated in real traffic, a pace that is likely to accelerate development of the autonomous platform. There is already talk of the first robotaxis potentially appearing in Madrid and Barcelona in 2026.
Spain’s decision has set off a domino effect: Germany, France, and Italy are preparing to join the program, yet Spain’s framework stands out as the first to be this liberal.
It is a move with significant technological and commercial upside, from improving safety to intensifying the race for leadership among automakers. For Tesla, it’s also an opening to restart growth after a dip in sales and to reassert itself in Europe. If regulators sustain this momentum, that resolve could prove as pivotal as the software itself.