The Government was originally aiming for a 2026 rollout, but full approval for self-driving tech now isn’t expected until late 2027.
This delay comes even after the Automated Vehicles (AV) Act became law in 2023. That legislation made a big move — it confirmed that when a car is in self-driving mode, the manufacturer, not the driver, is legally responsible if something goes wrong.
That was supposed to be a big step forward, but there’s still a section of secondary legislation needed before fully autonomous vehicles can legally operate here. For now, self-driving features are limited to things like lane assist adaptive cruise control etc, but the driver still needs to be alert and ready to take control at all times.
The Department for Transport says it’s “working quickly” to move things along and is even exploring short-term trials to get the self-driving scene off the ground.
To read a BBC News article, which includes comments from Uber which say ‘they are ready now’, click on the link below
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8jg80j771zo