Driverless cars not expected on UK roads until 2027

The date that driverless cars are expected on UK roads has been put back, with Government approval for the self-driving technology now not expected until 2027.

The previous administration claimed that driverless cars could be on British roads by 2026, after its Automated Vehicles (AV) Act became law last year.  

Originally announced in the King’s Speech in November 2023, the new law aimed to put Britain at the forefront of self-driving technology regulation.

The Act delivered a legal framework, setting out who is liable for autonomous vehicles (AVs), meaning that drivers can be assured that while their vehicle is in self-driving mode, they will not be held responsible for how the vehicle drives, but secondary legislation is required to allow driverless cars.

Limited self-driving technology is already permitted on UK roads, but a driver must be at the wheel and responsible for the vehicle, even if automated technology is being used.

The Department for Transport (DfT) told the BBC it was working “quickly” to make driverless vehicles a reality on the country’s roads and will implement self-driving vehicle legislation in the “second half of 2027”.

“We are also exploring options for short-term trials and pilots to create the right conditions for a thriving self-driving sector,” a DfT spokesperson added.

A number of firms are already trialling advanced self-driving technology on British roads, including UK technology company Wayve, while Uber says it is ready to launch its driverless ‘robotaxis’ in the UK, which are already available in the US.

Tesla has also been demonstrating its full self-driving feature in Europe with the Model 3, successfully navigating 12 lanes of traffic around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. 

Tesla told Fleet News that it does not have a timeline for when this will come to the UK.

“Tesla is currently working with regulators to receive approval for full self-driving (supervised) in Europe, aiming to launch the feature on existing and new vehicles as quickly as possible,” a spokesperson added.

The technology is already available in the US, Canada, Mexico and China. 

General Motors (GM) scrapped plans to develop a self-driving taxi business at the end of last year, restructuring its approach to the development of advanced driver assistance systems.

GM, which owned 90% of the Cruise autonomous vehicle business, announced it was folding the company into its wider ADAS strategy.

It said the decision was due to “the considerable time and resources that would be needed to scale the business, along with an increasingly competitive robotaxi market”.