Spain Grants First National Permit for Level 4 Autonomous Ride-Hailing
Event summary
- Spain’s Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) issued the first national permit for Level 4 autonomous passenger vehicles to WeRide, Uber, and AVOMO.
- The permit allows deployment of 20 autonomous vehicles in Madrid by year-end 2026, with a vehicle specialist onboard.
- This marks Uber and WeRide’s first European autonomous ride-hailing deployment under their global partnership.
- The partnership aims to expand to 15 cities by 2030, with Madrid as the fourth market.
- WeRide’s asset-light strategy combines its AV tech with Uber’s platform and AVOMO’s fleet operations.
The big picture
This permit solidifies Spain’s role as a European hub for autonomous mobility, leveraging Madrid’s dense urban environment and mature ride-hailing ecosystem. The collaboration exemplifies how AV developers are partnering with ride-hailing platforms and fleet operators to accelerate commercialization. Success here could pressure other EU nations to streamline their own AV regulations, potentially unlocking a €100B+ market by 2030.
What we're watching
- Regulatory Benchmarking
- Whether Spain’s ES-AV framework sets a precedent for EU-wide autonomous vehicle certification.
- Operational Scaling
- The pace at which WeRide and Uber can replicate this model across 11 additional cities by 2030.
- Competitive Positioning
- How this deployment affects Uber’s lead in autonomous mobility against rivals like Waymo and Cruise.
Related topics