Uber has approval from Spain’s Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) to test Level 4 autonomous vehicles on Madrid’s streets. Working with Chinese tech firm WeRide and Avomo, the company will put 20 cars on the road in a closely monitored pilot program.
The project marks a major shift for Uber, whose business has been built around human drivers. The DGT permit allows Uber and its partners to operate fully autonomous vehicles in certain areas and under specific conditions, going well beyond the driver-assist features found in most cars. A press release from Uber and WeRide says the permit falls under Spain’s ES-AV regime and covers testing on public roads, not a commercial launch. The test is registered in the DGT registry as FVA-02/2026.
For now, the 20 vehicles will not carry passengers without supervision. The first stage involves mapping streets and checking routes as the company prepares the service, with a safety operator in every car. The long-term goal is to remove the human from the driver’s seat, at least in certain parts of the city. Democrata reports that each car must have a safety specialist on board during this phase, and the project is officially classified as an experiment, not a commercial service.
The timing is impressive amid Madrid’s long-running disputes between taxi drivers and ride-hailing companies such as Uber. For years, both sides have argued over licenses and fares, with regulations also in dispute. Autonomous vehicles add a new dimension: if Uber can eventually run cars without drivers for most of the day, the technology could change the economics of city transport and shift the balance between taxis, VTC drivers and the platforms that hire them. As El Mundo points out, the approval does not mean passengers can hail a "driverless Uber" yet. It marks the start of a controlled trial.
Uber is working with WeRide, a Chinese company specializing in autonomous driving, and Avomo, the self-driving vehicle division of Moove Cars. The test fleet will operate in busy parts of Madrid, putting the technology to a real-world test in a city known for narrow streets and unpredictable traffic, where buses and motorcycles share the road with pedestrians. This is a tougher environment than the wide, predictable roads where most autonomous vehicles have been tested so far. Uber Investor Relations / Business Wire says the commercial launch of the robotaxi service is scheduled for late 2026, pending further regulatory and operational milestones.
These Level 4 vehicles differ from the advanced driver-assist systems found in many new cars. Features such as adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping still require a human to pay attention at all times. Level 4 autonomy means a car can handle all driving tasks within a set area and under set conditions, without human help. This is the technology behind the robotaxi concept. The Madrid project uses the WeRide GXR robotaxi, which is being introduced in Europe through this partnership, as reported by Silicon UK and Yahoo Finance.
VTC drivers remain on Madrid’s streets for now. The DGT’s decision opens the way to a future that, until recently, was limited to prototypes and tech demos. As the pilot continues, the industry will be watching how the vehicles handle Madrid’s real-world challenges. Spain’s approach is part of a wider European trend, as the country develops its ES-AV regime for testing automated vehicles on public roads, information from several industry sources.
Spain is not alone in facing the difficulties of bringing autonomous vehicles into daily life. As reported earlier, even established electric vehicle makers have run into regulatory and safety issues as they push automation forward.
Google/SpainAuto describes the Madrid pilot as a careful but impressive step. The use of safety operators and the focus on mapping and validation show a cautious approach, not a rush to replace drivers. Uber is betting that the next big change in city transport will be whether anyone needs to lead at all. The DGT’s approval moves the idea of robotaxis in Spain from theory to real-world testing.
