New York, June 11, 2026, 07:05 EDT
- Tesla shares traded up in premarket action after finishing Wednesday at $381.59, a drop of about 3.8%.
- Belgium cleared Tesla’s Full Self-Driving supervised system, the fifth country in the EU to allow it.
- The approval is key as Tesla’s valuation is now more about software, robotaxis and AI, rather than just car deliveries.
Tesla shares looked set to bounce back Thursday morning after sliding sharply on Wednesday. The company picked up a new European approval for its Full Self-Driving supervised software, and the stock was quoted at about $387 to $388 in early premarket trade. That’s up from Wednesday’s close at $381.59, down about 3.8%. The move shifted attention back to Tesla’s autonomy plans after the prior session’s slump.
Regulators in Belgium cleared Tesla’s Full Self-Driving supervised driver-assistance software after the company ran tests there, Reuters said. Annick De Ridder, who serves as transport minister for Flanders, said on X, “I just signed the approval,” according to Reuters. The news service reported that once one Belgian region signs off, the authorization holds across the country. Reuters
Belgium is now the fifth EU country to sign off on the software, joining the Netherlands, Lithuania, Estonia, and Denmark. The bigger issue for Tesla shareholders isn’t just Belgium’s auto market. It’s that more European regulators could copy the Dutch move from April.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving, or FSD, isn’t a fully autonomous product. Tesla claims FSD (Supervised) lets cars do lane changes, navigate, make turns, all with a driver watching, but says it “does not make your vehicle autonomous” and drivers still need to pay attention and step in. The point matters in regulation, as approvals still focus on assisted driving features, not full self-driving. Tesla
Tesla’s share moves on this news are all about the numbers. The company had 1.28 million active FSD subscriptions in Q1, a gain of 51% from last year, as total deliveries increased 6% to 358,023. So investors are tracking to see if paid software picks up the pace and brings in more high-margin revenue than the core car business over time.
Tesla is pushing the move. In its Q1 report, Tesla said FSD (Supervised) had started going “subscription-only” and noted a record for new subscriptions in the quarter. Dutch approval, the company said, “clears the path for potential approval in other EU countries.”
Tesla is charging $99 a month for FSD (Supervised) in places where drivers can get the monthly plan. As of the last update, Belgium wasn’t shown on Tesla’s support page, which still listed the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Estonia, and Denmark as available markets.
Broader markets are lending support to the rebound too. U.S. stock-index futures traded higher early Thursday, with investors buying beaten-down tech shares. Nasdaq 100 futures were up 1.19% at 6:22 a.m. ET, Reuters reported. That matters for Tesla, which tends to trade with high-growth tech stocks more than with car companies.
SpaceX is back in focus. Reuters said Thursday the pricing for SpaceX’s possible record IPO was expected later in the day. Musk was also set to join an ASML employee event virtually to talk about a proposed “Terafab” chipmaking project that would supply both Tesla and SpaceX. Reuters
That could help or hurt Tesla. SpaceX’s listing might boost the hunger for Musk’s AI, robotics and infrastructure plays, or it might split investor focus and money right when Tesla is pitching FSD, Robotaxi and Optimus as reasons for a rich valuation. Reuters reported SpaceX is targeting a $75 billion raise at a $1.75 trillion valuation, pricing on June 11 and trading to start the day after.
There’s a risk that approval by individual countries won’t lead to a seamless EU launch. Reuters said in May that to get broader approval, Tesla would need backing from a qualified majority—15 out of 27 EU states, covering 65% of the population. Regulators have flagged issues with speeding, how FSD handles icy roads, driver monitoring, and whether calling it “Full Self-Driving” could mislead people. Even Tesla’s own documents stress that FSD needs the driver to stay alert. Reuters
Tesla’s stock faces its next hurdle as investors watch to see if wins in Belgium and Denmark are one-offs or the start of a wider run in European approvals. Bigger markets like Germany and France carry more weight for sales. A broader EU nod would be bigger for how the market prices Tesla’s self-driving story.
