Time to build confidence in self-driving vehicles

Self-driving vehicles offer immense potential to improve road safety, transport accessibility and drive new jobs and growth – but it is vital that everyone is on board with this cutting-edge technology. 2026 is set to see automated passenger services piloted on UK roads and government’s new call for evidence to shape a regulatory framework is a welcome and necessary next step with which industry, aligned sectors and road users must now engage.

The right framework for rolling out such technology will reflect the long-term realities of safe and responsible commercial AV deployment – harnessing technological innovation, considering the intricacies of Britain’s road network and infrastructure challenges, and gaining the confidence of manufacturers and the public. The prize is significant, according to landmark industry research, with the potential to prevent 3,900 fatalities and 60,000 serious accidents by 2040 while generating £66 billion for the UK economy and creating some 342,000 additional jobs, including more than 12,000 roles in automotive manufacturing.

The UK is already home to world leaders in self-driving vehicle software, bringing international investment opportunities such as this week’s new partnership between UK-based Wayve and Nissan, with its AI tech now set to be introduced in the carmaker’s next-gen models in key markets, including Japan and North America.

A supportive regulatory framework can help the UK deliver more homegrown AI excellence – but a skilled workforce to deliver such technology at scale is also vital. This week’s government announcement of new apprenticeship funding was also very welcome, supporting SMEs to take on more 16- to 25-year-olds not in education, employment or training, filling skills gaps, and driving local – and potentially global – growth. When the entire sector is challenged to upskill its workforce, further reform of the Growth and Skills Levy will also be essential. More effective flexibilities are still needed, including improved access to apprenticeship funding for modular training, else there is a risk that major businesses will be disincentivised from sizeable workforce investment.

Investment is key to unleashing the industry’s full potential to deliver innovation, growth and jobs – and of course decarbonisation. That’s why SMMT partnered with the Green Finance Institute to host our latest Meet the Funder event last week. Businesses gained expert insight and potentially transformative connections, with a dozen automotive start-ups, scale-ups and established suppliers involved in one-to-one meetings with venture capital, private equity and industry specialists.

Meet the Funder is one of SMMT’s programme of bespoke business matching events with a full line-up planned for 2026, and beneficial access for our members. These include Meet the Buyer, a forum has delivered more than 1,800 successful manufacturer-supplier business introductions over the last decade, so watch this space for more details coming soon.