Road trials of FSD (Supervised) begin in Abu Dhabi

On 26 February 2026, Tesla confirmed the start of road trials of FSD (Supervised) in Abu Dhabi — the first time the software has been tested on public roads in the UAE. The trials are overseen by the Integrated Transport Centre, also known as Abu Dhabi Mobility, with support from the Smart and Autonomous Systems Council and in coordination with the Legislation Lab at the General Secretariat of the UAE Cabinet.

The trials are conducted within an officially approved regulatory framework and under continuous human supervision behind the wheel. As described by the organizers, this is the emirate's first formal testing framework for Tesla's supervised technology. The aim is to assess how the system performs in real regional conditions and to collect the data needed to verify its readiness before a wider rollout. As Dr. Abdulla Hamad AlGhfeli, Acting Director General of Abu Dhabi Mobility, noted, these tests represent a qualitative step to evaluate the technology in a real-world operating environment and to collect the necessary data to verify its readiness.

An earlier target of a January 2026 launch slipped, and the start of the road trials puts the UAE on track to become another country where the software is offered. It is important to stress, however, that this concerns testing only: no approval for owners has been granted, and the feature is not yet available to private users in the UAE. The UAE remains among the Middle Eastern markets awaiting approval, alongside Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.