Waymo starts driving in the Madrid region, aiming for riders in 2027

Waymo starts driving in the Madrid region, aiming for riders in 2027

20 October 2026: Waymo has begun the groundwork for a fully driverless ride-hailing service in Spain, starting with the Region of Madrid, and says it aims to take its first riders in 2027. Its electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles will appear on the region's roads "in the coming days".

Not yet independently verified. The trip and safety figures are Waymo's own, not results from Euro NCAP, IIHS or NHTSA. The DGT testing permit details come from Xataka and outlets repeating it, and we have not found the DGT's own record. We will update this when it can be confirmed, and remove this note.

Update, 10 November 2026: Other Spanish outlets now repeat Xataka's account and give the DGT identifier as FVA-03/2026, for 16 Level 4 vehicles, valid from 19 October 2026 to 18 October 2028. As reported, it is a testing permit and does not allow passenger service.

How the rollout is phased

Waymo describes a staged approach: manual driving first, then technical validation with local, trained autonomous-vehicle specialists behind the wheel, so that its driving system adapts to the region's traffic patterns and roads before any rider is carried. It says it is working with national, regional and local authorities, familiarising emergency services with its vehicles, and investing in local operations and partners, none of them named.

Xataka reports that testing covers the city of Madrid and the municipalities of Alcobendas and Getafe, that the road-testing permission from Spain's traffic authority, the DGT, under its 2025 instruction on automated vehicle testing covers testing only, and that a paid driverless service would need a passenger-transport authorisation Waymo does not yet hold. It also notes that the I-PACE is no longer in production.

What Waymo brings with it

The company cites more than 20 million trips completed, hundreds of thousands of commercial rides a week, and more than 400 million fully autonomous kilometres, over which it says its system was involved in 95% fewer crashes causing serious injury or worse than human drivers in the cities where it operates. Those are Waymo's own figures.

"Madrid is an incredible capital of innovation and an integral part of our growing global presence. We can't wait to serve Madrileños," said co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana. Waymo also quotes Ignacio Lijarcio, president of the Spanish Road Safety Foundation, and Mar Cogollos of AESLEME, the spinal-injury association, in support.

Spain's crowded robotaxi start

Madrid is Waymo's next international step after its announcement for Toronto, and it lands in a market where WeRide and Uber, through Avomo, received what they described as Spain's first national level 4 permit earlier this month. For Madrid's fleet operators, taxi groups and city planners, the useful dates are the end of the validation phase and the transport authorisation, neither of which Waymo has given. Residents can sign up for updates on Waymo's Spain page.

Sources

• Waymo: Waymo is coming to Spain, beginning with the Region of Madrid, 20 October 2026
• Xataka: Waymo llega a Madrid, 20 October 2026