UAE Autonomous Vehicle Rollout Advances Amid Multi-Emirate Regulatory and Infrastructure Frameworks

The UAE Cabinet approved national regulations in September establishing standardized rules for testing, inspecting, registering, and licensing autonomous vehicles, EnterpriseAM reported. However, operating permits continue to be issued on an emirate-by-emirate basis without cross-emirate reciprocity. Dubai enacted dedicated legislation in 2023 holding fleet operators directly liable for injuries or property damage, requiring operators to contractually shift risk up the supply chain to technology developers. In Abu Dhabi, permits require vehicles to pass rigorous safety, readiness, and performance assessments.

Abu Dhabi issued the Middle East's first two fully driverless commercial operating permits in November 2025 to WeRide (operating alongside Uber and Tawasul) and K2's AutoGo (partnering with Baidu's Apollo Go). By February, more than 120 Level 4 autonomous vehicles operated without safety drivers across roughly half of Abu Dhabi's core urban area. AutoGo commenced full commercial services on Yas Island in March, with planned expansions to Reem, Al Maryah, and Saadiyat islands. Abu Dhabi aims for autonomous vehicles to handle 25% of all trips by 2040.

Dubai aims for 25% autonomous trips and 4,000 autonomous vehicles by 2030, counting 160 operational driverless vehicles as of last month. Baidu's Apollo Go entered an agreement with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in April last year to roll out 1,000 driverless cabs by 2026, marking its first operational expansion outside Greater China. Dubai launched commercial operations in March with 100 autonomous taxis in Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah. Meanwhile, WeRide has expanded services with Uber into Khalifa City, Masdar City, and Rabdan, and agreed to launch robotaxis and robobuses on Ras Al Khaimah's Al Marjan Island.

Testing and road infrastructure developments are progressing across the emirates. In September, the RTA inaugurated the Dubai Mobility Labs at Dubai Silicon Oasis, managed by Germany's Dekra for three years, where WeRide, Pony.ai, and Tesla have tested vehicles across 248 traffic and weather scenarios. To support vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, Dubai's RTA is connecting 620 signalized junctions directly to vehicles for real-time traffic data, with full deployment slated for 2027–2028.