Chinese self-driving taxis are being tipped to arrive on Britain’s roads as soon as next year. It is said a tech giant called Baidu is leading the Chinese robotaxi charge in the UK, with other firms from the country also eyeing up expansion into Europe.
Baidu, dubbed ‘China’s Google’, has reportedly started testing its full self-driving in the UK and has plans to roll out thousands of cars across the continent. The Beijing-based company’s plans are said to be a direct challenge to Elon Musk’s Tesla which has begun testing its full self-driving technology in the UK. Last month, the British Government announced driverless vehicles would be permitted on UK roads from spring 2026 after deciding to fast-track pilots.
According to The Telegraph, Baidu has partnered its Apollo Go business with US-based Lyft — one of Uber’s biggest rivals — which plans to launch a driverless taxi service in the UK next year.
It is said Baidu is focusing on the UK after effectively being locked out of the American market where Chinese self-driving software is set to be banned from 2027.
Driverless vehicles are already popular in cities across China, with other firms in the country also planning to enter Europe.
One company says it will begin trialling its service in Luxembourg, while another has reportedly tested driverless buses in France and Spain.
Murtuza Ali, a technology analyst at Counterpoint Research, said: “China’s top players are pushing hard into overseas markets, potentially gaining a foothold before US rivals can fully scale.”
While the Chinese tech appears to be on course to grow rapidly, The Telegraph reports there will likely be scrutiny over safety records and security concerns.
It noted some fear the self-driving vehicles could create risks akin to Huawei — the Chinese telecoms company that was barred from UK networks over national security concerns.
Director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, Luke de Pulford, told the newspaper: “Unless the UK wakes up soon, it will find itself having to foot a huge bill for removing high-risk equipment, like they had to over Huawei.”
The first driverless taxi pilot in the UK is expected to be Uber’s trial with Wayve, according to reports.
