Waymo in Europe: where it is coming, and when

As of October 2026, Waymo carries no riders in Europe. It has named three cities: London, where its cars already drive themselves with a specialist at the wheel; Munich, where it is mapping the streets; and Madrid, announced in October. It aims for riders in London this year, and in Munich and Madrid in 2027.

Where and when

London. Waymo announced London in October 2025, with Moove as its fleet operations partner. After its local team had driven the cars tens of thousands of miles on London roads, it started driving autonomously with trained specialists behind the wheel on 14 April 2026, in Jaguar I-PACE cars first built for its US fleet. It intends to offer rides with nobody behind the wheel in 2026.¹ That needs approval from the Department for Transport and the consent of Transport for London,¹ and in late August no operator had yet been given such a permit.² More on London in Robotaxis in London.

Munich. Announced on 25 August 2026 as Waymo's first city in Germany. It begins by mapping the city in high definition and testing with specialists at the wheel, and aims to open rides to the public towards the end of 2027.³ Waymo says it will follow the rules of the Federal Motor Transport Authority and Germany's Level 4 law.⁴

Madrid. Announced on 20 October 2026, for the Region of Madrid. Jaguar I-PACE cars are driven manually first, then tested with local specialists at the wheel. Waymo aims to take its first riders in 2027.⁵

Elsewhere. In June 2026, Waymo registered a company in Paris.⁶⁷ It has not announced a French city; a spokesperson said Waymo is "engaging with officials around the world to explain our technology and lay the groundwork for global operations".⁶

The same steps everywhere

In each city Waymo follows the same order: people drive the cars to map the streets, then the cars drive themselves with a trained specialist at the wheel, and only then without anyone behind it. Riders come at the end, once the national and local authorities agree.¹⁴⁵ How each country decides is in Robotaxi rules in Europe.

What it means for cities

A Waymo service needs more than permission to drive. In London a partner runs the fleet,¹ and in Munich Waymo says it will invest in local fleet operations.³ Its cars will have to charge, be cleaned and wait between rides somewhere. In London and Munich they will share those streets with other robotaxi companies, which is what staging areas and Lanoo are for. Waymo and every other company in Europe is listed in Robotaxi companies in Europe.

Sources

1. Waymo, Waymo in London. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

2. Tech Times, London Robotaxi Riders Promised 2026 Driverless Trips: TfL Says No Rush, August 2026. ↩

3. Waymo, Waymo in Munich, 25 August 2026. ↩ ↩²

4. Waymo, Waymo in Germany. ↩ ↩²

5. Waymo, ¡Llegamos a Madrid! Waymo is coming to Spain, 20 October 2026. ↩ ↩²

6. Zag Daily, Waymo registers entities in France, the Netherlands, Spain and Germany, July 2026. ↩ ↩²

7. The Connexion, US self-driving taxi company sets up business in France, September 2026. ↩