DfT Sets Out Clearer Timeline for When Self-Driving Cars Will Arrive on UK Roads

The Department for Transport (DfT) has offered new details on when fully autonomous vehicles could start operating on UK roads, providing much-needed clarity as driverless technology accelerates rapidly in the United States.

Across America, autonomous ride-hailing is expanding at speed. Companies such as Waymo are already running public, driverless services in cities including Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The company recently confirmed it will move into five more US locations — Miami, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando — with operations in Miami already underway.

By contrast, the UK is still working through the technical standards, safety frameworks and legislation required before driverless vehicles can operate widely. Some advanced features are already present in modern cars — such as lane-keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control and automatic braking — but these fall under Level 2 automation, meaning a human driver must remain fully responsible.

Level 3 systems can control the vehicle in limited, defined situations, although a human must be ready to take over at any moment. Level 4 technologies can manage longer stretches of autonomous driving, but only on pre-approved routes with detailed mapping.

UK Rollout Expected Between 2026 and 2027

Ministers had previously set an ambition for self-driving services to appear in 2026, building on the Automated Vehicles Act, which became law in May 2024. That goal drew renewed attention when Waymo announced plans to launch in London, stating its intention to run completely driverless services in the capital next year.

Following this, MPs pressed the government for clarity on how soon the UK could realistically see commercial deployment.

In response, Transport Minister Simon Lightwood confirmed that:“Full implementation of the Automated Vehicles Act is planned for the second half of 2027.”

He also highlighted progress on earlier trials:

• A permitting system for automated passenger services will be brought forward to spring 2026, opening the door to pilot schemes without a safety driver, provided companies can demonstrate safety and secure the agreement of local councils.

• These early services would be enabled under the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018, which defines what qualifies as a “self-driving” vehicle.

Lightwood also clarified that the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) will be responsible for assessing whether vehicles genuinely meet the threshold for autonomous operation without human input.

Significant Hurdles Remain

The minister’s comments underline the complexity of bringing self-driving technology to market in the UK. Even as Waymo prepares for a London rollout, it must still satisfy the UK's stringent safety requirements, certification processes and local authority conditions before any public services can begin.

With nationwide legislation not fully in place until at least 2027, questions still remain around how insurers will handle responsibility in collisions involving vehicles with no human driver.

While the UK timeline trails behind rapid US deployment, the DfT’s update provides the clearest indication so far of when autonomous cars might finally become a reality on UK roads.