Italy
Italy has one of Western Europe's worst road-death rates at 5.2 per 100,000, but a comparatively small Tesla fleet — roughly 70,000 cars against about 435,000 battery-electric vehicles of all brands. High stakes per car, few cars.
Where it sits
Tesla fleet
UNRAE and ministry registration flow from 2020 onward, plus earlier Model S and Model X sales, less attrition.
New registrations
| Year | New Teslas | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 15,651 | — |
| 2025 | 12,847 | -18% |
| 2026 to date | 8,290 | part year |
Registrations are the yearly flow of new cars, not the fleet. The 70,000 figure above is the stock — every Tesla currently on the road. 2026 covers January to 31 August, so it is not comparable with a full year: like for like it is modest growth on 2025.
Road safety baseline
A safer baseline means less room for FSD to help. Italy is more dangerous than the EU average, so each Tesla here carries more potential impact than one in Scandinavia.
How this number is worked out
3,068 road deaths × 0.83 crash reduction × ( 70,000 the whole Tesla fleet ÷ 24M vehicles ) = 7.6 lives / year
Because FSD is blocked here, the calculation uses the whole 70,000-car fleet: this is what Italy is currently giving up, not what it is getting. The 83% figure is the midpoint of Tesla's published crash-rate data; the vehicle total assumes 400 vehicles per 1,000 people. Full workings on the methodology page.
Who decides
Italy has not recognised the Dutch type approval. As an EU member it could recognise it tomorrow, as six other members already have — or wait for the bloc-wide vote.
Head of government: @GiorgiaMeloni · Follow the approval news →