WeRide, Uber and AVOMO win Spain's first national permit for Level 4 autonomous passenger vehicles
Spain's Directorate General of Traffic has granted the country's first national permit for Level 4 autonomous passenger vehicles to WeRide, Uber and AVOMO, opening the way to a commercial service in Madrid.
- 20 vehicles
- 15 (Madrid is the fourth; 11 more by 2030)
- 9
- more than 60 cities across 13 countries
What Happened
WeRide, Uber Technologies and AVOMO, the autonomous vehicle division of the Moove Cars Group, said they received Spain's first national permit for Level 4 autonomous passenger vehicles to operate on public roads. The authorization came from Spain's Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) within the ES-AV framework, in collaboration with the Regional Government of Madrid. The companies described it as a major regulatory milestone toward the launch of Spain's first commercial autonomous vehicle service, and the first national approval for WeRide's GXR autonomous vehicle in the EU.
WeRide, Uber and AVOMO receive Spain's first national permit for Level 4 autonomous passenger vehicles from the DGT.
Commercial operations in Spain are expected to begin after deployment preparations and the necessary operational and regulatory milestones are achieved.
The remaining 11 of the 15 cities under the WeRide-Uber strategic partnership are expected to follow, after Madrid becomes the fourth.
20vehicles
The first phase deploys 20 vehicles with WeRide's latest autonomous driving technology, supervised by an in-car vehicle specialist, across high-demand areas of the Greater Madrid region.
- Mapping in the region of Madrid
- Route validation
- Operational readiness testing
- Deployment preparation activities under the DGT ES-AV framework, laying the foundation for future commercial autonomous passenger transport services
“Receiving this permit is a significant achievement for WeRide as it marks our ninth autonomous driving permit worldwide and a testament to our global leadership in commercializing autonomous vehicle services. The Madrid region is a key gateway for our European expansion, and together with partners like Uber and AVOMO, we are one step closer to bringing autonomous mobility to Spain before the end of 2026.”
“Every successful autonomous vehicle deployment begins long before the first commercial ride. Our experience managing autonomous fleets in the United States has shown that careful preparation, rigorous operational processes, and safety-first execution are the foundation for scaling these services.”
The Madrid launch is the first planned autonomous vehicle deployment by Uber and WeRide in Europe and the fourth of 15 cities under their strategic partnership, with another 11 cities to come by 2030. Under that global partnership, the two companies plan to deploy tens of thousands of autonomous vehicles on public roads. The service combines WeRide's autonomous driving technology, Uber's mobility platform and AVOMO's fleet operations expertise, which the partners describe as a scalable framework for autonomous ride-hailing and part of WeRide's asset-light operating strategy.
Previously from WeRide Inc.
WeRide has been expanding overseas: in August 2026 it reported second-quarter revenue up 82.2% year over year to RMB231.7 million, driven by overseas robotaxi growth and its new L2++/L3 business. Earlier that month it announced a partnership with Denmark's GreenMobility to launch Level 4 self-driving shared rides in Denmark in the first half of 2027, pending regulatory approval, marking its first Nordic market.
- WeRide Q2 2026 Revenue Jumps 82.2% as Robotaxi Expansion Accelerates Overseas
- WeRide and GreenMobility Partner to Deploy Level 4 Autonomous Mobility in Denmark, WeRide's Nordic Debut
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of WeRide Inc.'s official releases.
Why this matters
The permit is a regulatory first for Spain and the first national approval of WeRide's GXR autonomous vehicle in the EU, which the companies say creates a benchmark for future vehicle certification and commercialization across the region. It also sets up the first Uber-WeRide autonomous deployment in Europe, with Madrid riders expected to be the first users and 11 more cities planned under their partnership by 2030.
Terms in This Story
- Level 4 autonomous
- A level of driving automation in which the vehicle can perform all driving tasks within a defined area or set of conditions without a human driver taking over.
- ride-hailing
- A service in which passengers book a car through a mobile app rather than hailing one on the street.
- ES-AV framework
- The Spanish regulatory framework administered by the country's Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) under which autonomous vehicle permits are granted.
- asset-light operating strategy
- A business approach in which a company relies on partners' assets and operations instead of owning the fleet and infrastructure itself.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.