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Toyota and Waymo reveal plans to bring new factory-built driverless cars to Britain as autonomous ride-hailing competition gathers pace
Toyota and Waymo have announced plans to introduce a new generation of purpose-adapted autonomous electric vehicles to the UK, expanding their collaboration as competition develops in Britain’s emerging driverless taxi market.
The companies confirmed on Friday 30 October that they will begin testing and validating a fleet of autonomous Toyota bZ4X vehicles in Japan during 2027, before deploying the vehicles in the United Kingdom and other markets served by Waymo in subsequent years.
Toyota will manufacture the vehicles at its Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The production process will include installing Waymo’s autonomous driving hardware at the factory rather than completing the integration separately after vehicle assembly.
The arrangement marks a further development in the partnership first announced in April 2025, when the companies agreed to explore the development and deployment of autonomous vehicle technology.
The latest announcement establishes the bZ4X as a specific vehicle platform for the collaboration and confirms plans for its introduction into international ride-hailing operations.
The vehicles will incorporate Waymo’s Level 4 autonomous driving technology, which is designed to operate without human driving intervention within defined operating conditions.
Toyota said the adapted bZ4X will feature additional rear passenger space, automatic doors, a powered tailgate and ambient lighting intended to improve passenger access and comfort.
The companies have identified accessibility as an important consideration in the vehicle’s design. However, the announcement does not confirm whether the new platform will accommodate passengers who need to remain seated in their wheelchairs.
The UK deployment plans follow Waymo’s earlier announcement that it intends to establish a fully autonomous passenger service in London. In October 2025, Waymo outlined plans to introduce driverless ride-hailing in the capital during 2026, working with fleet operations partner Moove.
The company subsequently published a London operating strategy in September 2026, confirming that its proposed service would use the UK’s Automated Passenger Services permitting framework.
Under that framework, a driverless passenger service resembling a taxi or private hire operation requires national regulatory approval and consent from the relevant local licensing authority.
For operations in London, that means securing the necessary national authorisations and consent from Transport for London.
The new Toyota announcement does not establish that the bZ4X vehicles will form part of Waymo’s initial London fleet.
The companies have not specified when the Toyota vehicles will enter British service, how many will be deployed or whether they will replace or supplement vehicles already being used in Waymo’s autonomous driving programme.
They have also not disclosed the manufacturing investment, vehicle acquisition costs or operating economics associated with the new platform.
The decision to integrate autonomous driving equipment during manufacturing could change how Waymo sources and prepares vehicles for commercial service, although the companies have not quantified any resulting cost or efficiency savings.
Toyota and Waymo will also continue examining how autonomous driving technology could be incorporated into privately owned Toyota vehicles. Their collaboration includes Woven by Toyota, the manufacturer’s technology business, which will explore further applications of autonomous driving data and safety systems.
Dmitri Dolgov, co-CEO of Waymo, said: "Toyota's commitment to zero traffic accidents resonates deeply with us at Waymo, and we're proud to work together toward safer roads for all. In areas where Waymo operates, we've demonstrated that we are up to 20x safer than human drivers when it comes to serious crash injuries, and our partnership with Toyota will help us bring the safety and convenience of autonomous driving to more people around the world, including key international markets like Japan.
“We chose Toyota because of our respect for the legendary safety, reliability, and quality of their vehicles, and we look forward to deepening our collaboration as we scale our fully autonomous Waymo Driver technology globally."
Hiroki Nakajima, Member of the Board of Directors and Executive Vice President, Toyota Motor Corporation, said: "We are deeply grateful that Waymo, which helped pioneer fully autonomous driving technology, has chosen Toyota as its partner.
"Safety technology makes the biggest difference when it reaches as many people as possible. This collaboration will help scale that technology and bring it to customers in Japan and beyond through Waymo's ride-hailing service, and in parallel, Toyota will continue to explore how integrating vehicles with traffic infrastructure can make those roads safer still. No single company can achieve the goal of zero traffic accidents alone, but with partners like Waymo, we will get there one step at a time."
