61 percent are not yet ready to use a self-driving car
New research shows that Dutch drivers still have little confidence in autonomous driving.
Published on June 15, 2026
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Although the Netherlands recently became the first European country to approve the use of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised feature on public roads, a large proportion of Dutch drivers remain skeptical about self-driving vehicles.
A survey by OSW, conducted among 1,038 drivers, shows that 61 percent would not currently want to use a self-driving car. Older drivers, in particular, are skeptical. Among drivers aged 60 and older, 76 percent say they have no confidence in using a vehicle that drives itself. Among drivers under 30, that percentage is significantly lower, at 49 percent.
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Even as passengers, many Dutch people still don’t feel comfortable with the technology. More than half of those surveyed say they would rather not ride with someone who is driving a self-driving car.
Safety: a key point
Safety remains a key point of debate. Although proponents of autonomous driving point to the reduction of human error in traffic, 67 percent of respondents believe that self-driving cars are not currently safer than vehicles driven entirely by humans.
However, acceptance does seem to depend on the traffic situation. Respondents indicate they have more confidence in autonomous driving on highways than in busy urban environments, where traffic situations are often more complex and less predictable.
In addition, a large majority is concerned about the role of the driver. For example, 86 percent fear that people will become less alert as vehicles take over more and more driving tasks. According to experts, this could pose risks if a driver suddenly has to intervene unexpectedly.
Who is responsible?
Liability in the event of accidents is also a topic of discussion. Two-thirds of respondents believe that car manufacturers should be liable for accidents involving self-driving cars. This differs from the current situation with systems such as Tesla FSD Supervised, where the driver remains responsible and must maintain constant supervision.
The results suggest that technological developments in autonomous driving are advancing faster than their acceptance among Dutch drivers. Despite the emergence of increasingly advanced driver-assistance systems, widespread confidence in self-driving cars appears to be a long way off for now.