Autonomous Vehicle Permit Holders in California Logged More Than 9 Million Test Miles Between December 1, 2024 and November 30, 2025

Contact: Office of Public Affairs
2415 First Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95818
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2026

What you need to know: The DMV released its annual report that details how many miles autonomous vehicle permit holders logged in a 12-month period along with information on incidents when a safety driver took control of the vehicle due to technical failure or other concerns.

Sacramento - The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) announced today that autonomous vehicles with

testing permits collectively covered more than 9 million miles on California's public roads from December 1, 2024, to November 30, 2025.

This information is contained in the Autonomous Vehicle Disengagement Reports that the DMV publishes annually. These reports detail autonomous vehicle mileage and incidents when these vehicles "disengage," which means the safety driver took control due to a technology failure or other concern.

Since 2014, California regulations have required manufacturers operating AVs under drivered and driverless testing permits to report annually instances where safety drivers took control due to technology failures or other concerns.

These reports also describe the testing circumstances, locations, and specific conditions under which disengagements occurred. They are intended to provide insight into the operational activities of each permit holder and are not designed for comparative analysis across companies.

Companies are required to report public road testing; activities on private roads, out-of-state testing, or any testing of vehicle automation systems below Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Level 3, as well as simulation testing, are not included in these reports. Disengagement reporting is not required for AV operations conducted under deployment permits.

In 2026, the Department expects to finalize updates to its AV regulations, including enhancements to application and data reporting requirements designed to promote innovation while prioritizing the protection of all road users.

The new regulations propose to replace disengagement reporting requirements previously set forth in 13CCR § 227.56 with updated metrics offering a more precise picture of safety-relevant events arising during AV operation. The proposed reporting requirements include:

• Notices of Autonomous Vehicle Noncompliance issued by law enforcement officers for traffic violations by AVs.
• Dynamic driving task performance relevant system failures that occur during drivered testing and deployment, in alignment with SAE International's standard J3016 (APR2021).
• Vehicle immobilizations that occur during driverless testing and deployment.
• Braking events that occur during drivered and driverless testing that produce a speed decrease of 3 meters per second (m/s) or more from braking at a deceleration rate that exceeds 5 meters per second squared (m/s/s) for at least 0.5 seconds on a public road with a speed limit of 35 miles per hour or higher.
• Vehicle Miles Traveled during testing and deployment.
• Crash reporting in alignment with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Standing General Order (SGO) June 2025 version.
• Notices of Autonomous Vehicle Noncompliance issued by law enforcement officers for traffic violations by AVs.

Before Going to a DMV Office - Try Online First

Most DMV tasks do not require an office visit. The DMV encourages customers to use its online services and other service channels for tasks such as eligible driver's license and vehicle registration renewals. Customers can also use the Service Advisor on the DMV website to learn about options to complete DMV tasks.

Go Paperless - Customers must create a MyDMV account at dmv.ca.gov/mydmv and opt in to receive their paperless vehicle registration, driver's license and identification card renewal notices by email.

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