A manufacturer with a permit to test with a safety driver is authorized to test on any public road within the State of California. As of March 20, 2026, DMV has issued Autonomous Vehicle Testing Permits (with a driver) to the following entities:
- AIMOTIVE INC.
- APOLLO AUTONOMOUS DRIVING USA LLC
- AUDI OF AMERICA
- AURORA OPERATIONS, INC.
- BLACK SESAME TECHNOLOGIES INC.
- GATIK AI INC.
- HELM.AI INC.
- IMAGRY INC.
- MAY MOBILITY
- MERCEDES-BENZ RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT NORTH AMERICA
- MOIA America
- MOTIONAL
- NISSAN
- NURO, INC.
- NVIDIA CORPORATION
- OHMIO INC.
- PLUSAI, INC.
- PONY.AI
- QUALCOMM TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
- TELENAV, INC.
- TENSOR AUTO INC.
- TESLA ROBOTAXI LLC
- VALEO NORTH AMERICA, INC.
- VUERON TECHNOLOGY USA, INC.
- WAYMO LLC
- WeRide Corp DBA WeRide AI
- WOVEN BY TOYOTA
- ZOOX INC.
DMV has authorized the following manufacturers to test autonomous vehicles without a safety driver – Updated April 3 2026
| AV Manufacturer | Approved Locations | Time of Day Operations | Approved ODD Characteristics |
| Apollo Autonomous Driving USA LLC | San Francisco – Downtown – Potrero Hill – Presidio Heights – Richmond – Sunset Sunnyvale – North of El Camino Real (California State Route 82) | · All times of day and night (San Francisco) · Weekdays and weekends, 9 AM – 9 PM (Sunnyvale) | · Includes clear weather, but also light inclement weather conditions, including light rain and fog · Speed 35 MPH (San Francisco) · Speed 45 MPH (Sunnyvale) |
| Nuro Lucid Gravity R3 Nuro Robot | Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties | All times of day and night | · Dry or wet pavement or asphalt, including light rain, and light to moderate fog. · Speed 45 MPH |
| Tensor Auto Inc. | San Jose | All times of day and night | · Mild and clear conditions, as well as light precipitation · Speed 45 MPH |
| Waymo LLC (Approved Locations, Time of Day Operations, Approved ODD Characteristics) | |||
| WeRide Corp DBA WeRide AI | · San Jose · Santa Clara | Daytime | · Clear or cloudy weather but also light inclement weather conditions, including light rain · Speed 50 MPH |
| Zoox Inc. | Foster City San Francisco | All times of day and night | · Clear conditions, mist, drizzle and moderate rain and light fog, haze, or smoke · Speed 45 MPH (Foster City) · Speed 45 MPH (San Francisco) |
As of November 21, 2025, DMV has authorized the deployment of autonomous vehicles from the following entities:
| AV Manufacturer | Approved Locations | Time of Day Operations | Approved ODD Characteristics |
| Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America | · California freeways and highways in: – Bay Area – Los Angeles – Sacramento – San Diego · Interstate 5 · Interstate 15 connecting Los Angeles area to Nevada | Daytime | · Sufficient weather conditons Excludes: Flooded highways, heavy smoke, heavy dust, and heavy fog, snowstorms · Speed 40 mph |
| Nuro Inc. | · San Mateo County · Santa Clara County | All times of day and night | · Fair weather conditions: – dry or wet pavement/asphalt – light rain – light to moderate fog · Speed 25-35 mph |
| Waymo LLC (Approved Locations, Time of Day Operations, Approved ODD Characteristics) | |||
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