The UK has been ranked fourth in the world for its current preparations for self-driving vehicles on public roads.
The ratings have been put together by comparison website Confused.com and are based on factors including autonomous vehicle (AV) regulations, consumer interest and technology investments.
The UK, with an overall score of 6.92 out of 10, is one of the best scoring countries when it comes to the number of AV companies headquartered in the country. These include Wayve, a London-based AV tech company and Oxbotica, an AV software company from Oxford.
By far the most AV ready country is the USA, scoring 8.62/10.
The US has the most companies pioneering AV technology (50), as well as by far the most patents (127, 570) and public EV chargers. A number of companies such as Tesla that are well known for AVs are also based in the US.
Japan has often been a nation at the forefront of new technologies, so perhaps it’s no surprise to see Japan ranking second. The nation that was the first to fit cars with satellite navigation systems, ranks in the top four nations for road quality, AV patents, and AV companies.
Ranking in third place is France (7.37/10). France ranks in the top 10 for almost every category, including AV patents and companies.
The full research can be accessed here.
The top 10 AV ready countries
| Rank | Country | Legislation Score (/4)*** | AV Company HQs | AV Patents | AV Companies With Over $50 Million Investment | Year on Year Search Volume Difference for AVs | Public EV Chargers (per million people) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 3* | 50 | 127,570 | 50 | 12.30% | 345 |
| 2 | Japan | 4 | 3 | 21,242 | 3 | -9.50% | 237 |
| 3 | France | 2 | 2 | 5,499 | 2 | 5.90% | 679 |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 3** | 5 | 6,165 | 5 | -11.00% | 498 |
| 5 | Germany | 4 | 1 | 13,817 | 1 | -2.30% | 537 |
| 6 | Canada | 2 | 2 | 4,685 | 2 | 2.80% | 347 |
| 7 | Sweden | 2 | 1 | 4,693 | 1 | 0.00% | 1,006 |
| 8 | Israel | 1 | 11 | 3,613 | 11 | 13.10% | 142 |
| 9 | Austria | 2 | 1 | 693 | 1 | -2.30% | 923 |
| 10 | Switzerland | 1 | 1 | 3,110 | 1 | -12.20% | 907 |
Comment as guest
Comments
No comments have been made yet.