February 24 news, according to foreign reports, Tesla owners in Europe have been patiently waiting for years to experience the full experience of the fully autonomous driving (FSD) function. While the software has become central to the Tesla experience in North America, regulations in Europe have made it difficult to spread it. However, a new discovery in the source code of Tesla's website suggests that more flexible payment methods may be coming.
Eagle-eyed users recently discovered a piece of commented-out code on Tesla's Dutch website that contained a "Subscription Price Hook" and was shared on X by @Tesla_NL_TR. This code implies that the infrastructure for the €99 per month subscription service is already built into the website and only needs to be enabled on the server side to take effect. While the €99 price may just be a placeholder - in line with the $99 monthly subscription fee in the US - it's a clear sign that Tesla is preparing for the launch of the subscription service in Europe.
Why has FSD (fully autonomous driving) failed to become popular in Europe?
Tesla has been working behind the scenes for years to get its FSD (Supervised) system certified for European roads.
The company recently unveiled an ambitious plan to officially launch the system in February 2026. The timeline closely aligns with Tesla's partnership with the Dutch Vehicle Authority (RDW), which is seen as a springboard to wider European homologation.
However, the FSD system has not yet been approved by Dutch regulators, let alone the rest of the EU.
In order to build momentum and prove the safety of the system, Tesla launched the well-received FSD (fully autonomous driving) experience project in cities such as Hamburg, Berlin and Amsterdam last year. These demonstration drives allow Europeans to experience first-hand the system's ever-increasing capabilities.
Although Elon Musk has hinted in recent weeks that the first official approvals could come as early as this month, it's now the last week of February and there's still no official news.
One-time purchase vs. subscription
The move to a subscription model is the inevitable result of a major shift in Tesla's policy in North America. Earlier this month, Tesla officially stopped offering FSD (Full Self-Driving) functionality as a one-time upgrade of $8,000 in the United States and Canada.
Currently, new car owners in North America can only use the software through a monthly subscription.
Europe currently still offers one-time purchase options, but history suggests this won't last forever. In Australia, Tesla launched the FSD subscription service last fall and announced that it would remove the one-time purchase option on March 31. Once subscription services are officially launched in Europe, the era of "one-off purchases" is likely to be over soon as well.
Looking to the future
A subscription option spotted on the Dutch website suggests Tesla is ready to launch the service as soon as regulators give the green light. For many car owners, the monthly fee of 99 euros is far more cost-effective than paying thousands of euros in one go, especially for a feature that is still in "regulatory" mode.
Expect more leaks like this to emerge as Tesla's previously set target date of February 2026 approaches, as the company prepares to bring its most advanced artificial intelligence technology to the most regulated roads in the world.