Study ranks China first in autonomous vehicle readiness
English translation from Unibot. Source published 2026-08-13.
China is the country best prepared for self-driving cars, according to a new report.
The study was conducted by B2B company eCarsTrade. Analysts examined robotaxi deployment, road infrastructure, legal frameworks and public opinion in fifteen countries. The aim was straightforward: identify who is actually putting driverless vehicles on roads rather than simply making promises.
Who came first
China ranked first, supported by large-scale robotaxi deployment, nearly complete 5G coverage and advanced regulation permitting fully driverless commercial passenger services.
The United States followed. Waymo provides around 500,000 paid rides a week there. New Zealand and Canada lag behind, with limited trials and less developed legal frameworks.
How readiness was calculated
The report assessed four key areas. Deployment measured how many robotaxis were actually carrying paying passengers, rather than merely announcements and pilot programs. Infrastructure included road quality, 5G coverage and electric-vehicle charging networks.
The legal category tracked whether countries had adopted laws allowing commercial driverless operations. Public opinion was gathered through surveys and analysis of 76 Reddit threads. Driver-assistance systems such as Tesla Autopilot were excluded because a human must still be behind the wheel.
China: the scale leader
Robotaxis: yes, Apollo Go, Pony.ai and WeRide
Safety driver: not used by Apollo Go
Road quality: 4.8 out of 7
5G coverage: 96 percent
EV charging stations: more than 3 million
Legal status: advanced
China leads the world in autonomous-driving readiness. More than 17 million robotaxi trips have been recorded. Apollo Go operates fully driverless vehicles with nobody behind the wheel. The 5G network covers 96 percent of the population, providing low-latency connectivity for autonomous vehicles.
Road quality is moderate at 4.8 out of 7, but deployment scale outweighs infrastructure limitations. China also has more than 3 million EV charging stations, simplifying operation of electric robotaxi fleets.
United States
The United States ranks second. Waymo provides around 500,000 paid rides weekly, equivalent to approximately 26 million a year, making it the largest commercial robotaxi service outside China.
Waymo uses fully driverless vehicles without safety drivers. Road quality scores a high 5.6 out of 7. The US has nearly 200,000 charging stations and developed federal and local legislation permitting commercial autonomous vehicle operation.
Public opinion is more divided than in China or Singapore. Reddit discussions actively address blocked roads, emergency-service problems and the distinction between remote assistance and genuine autonomy.
Singapore
Singapore completes the top three. It has the study's highest road-quality score, 6.7, with streets well suited to autonomous vehicles.
5G covers 95 percent of the population and the legal framework is fully developed. Robotaxi deployment is smaller than in China or the US: most services use shuttles or small vehicles that often still require safety drivers.
Singapore's approach is methodical: build world-class infrastructure and give technology time to catch up.
Germany and the UAE
Germany ranks fourth. It became the first country to legally allow Level 4 autonomous vehicles on public roads. Roads are readily navigable and score 5.9 out of 7, while 5G covers 90 percent of the population. Its 130,000 charging stations provide a substantial base for electric autonomous fleets.
Large-scale robotaxi deployment has not yet followed. The law is in place, but fleets are still being established.
The UAE completes the top five. Fully driverless commercial robotaxis operate in Abu Dhabi through a joint WeRide and Uber project.
Road quality is excellent at 6.4 out of 7. 5G covers 99 percent of the population, the highest figure among the five. The legal framework is developed and public acceptance is positive.
The UAE has fewer than 2,000 charging stations, a small number compared with China or the US. The country is small and densely populated, however, making charging infrastructure easier to scale.
A genuine turning point
An eCarsTrade automotive expert commented: "The autonomous vehicle industry spent years debating what was possible. The real shift came when companies stopped talking and started carrying paying passengers.
A robotaxi on a closed test track is a research project. A robotaxi carrying a person through a busy city is a business.
Technology improves faster when it encounters real roads, real weather and real impatient drivers. Simulations and controlled tests can only take it so far. The rest comes through real journeys, real mistakes and real fixes."
Main image: a composite UAE cityscape created using Easy-Peasy.ai.