Guidance

Self-driving vehicle pilot scheme: information for first responders

Published 31 March 2026

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Self-driving vehicle pilot scheme

From spring 2026 companies can apply to run commercial services using self-driving vehicles without a safety driver on roads in England, Scotland and Wales. 

This guidance is to help first responders (blue light services) to prepare for the deployment of self-driving vehicles under this pilot scheme. 

It may also be helpful for other parties, such as traffic authority officers, front-line vehicle inspectors, border force and other non-blue light emergency services.

The deployment on GB roads of automated vehicles (AVs), also known as autonomous vehicles, will be regulated by the Automated Vehicles Act 2024 (AV Act). This act introduces a comprehensive legal framework with safety at its centre which will fully come into force from late 2027. This builds on the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 (AEVA 2018).

The deployment of pilot vehicles will deliver valuable learnings regarding automated vehicles which will help inform development of the regulatory framework under the AV Act. This could also help inform usage patterns and preferred service provisions and enable the general public to gain confidence in the deployment of these vehicles while their deployment is at a relatively small scale.

There is separate guidance for organisations that want to apply to take part in self-driving vehicle pilot scheme.

Scope

This guidance document relates specifically to vehicles deployed under the pilot scheme without a safety driver. 

The piloting process is distinct from the trialling of automated vehicle technologies and services with a safety driver, which falls under the code of practice. Trialling of automated vehicle technologies requires a driver to be present, in or out of the vehicle, who is ready, able and willing to resume control of the vehicle.

This guidance does not apply to vehicles that require the use of a safety driver whilst the automated driving system (ADS) is engaged - for either control or for monitoring the vehicle with a view to immediate and safety-critical intervention in the way the vehicle drives.

In addition, this guidance document does not cover vehicles undertaking the authorisation process under the Automated Vehicles Act 2024 (AV Act) which will be fully implemented from late 2027.

Before a pilot deployment

It is critical that pilot deployments of AVs in Great Britain are safe. In order for AVs to be deployed as part of a pilot we expect them to:

• obtain a vehicle special order (VSO), which will be needed before the vehicle can be legally used on GB roads if there are certain legal requirements with which they cannot comply
• be listed under section 1 of the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 (AEVA)

If the deployment involves the provision of automated passenger services, they are also expected to obtain an automated passenger service (APS) permit by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) or the Scottish or Welsh ministers.

Vehicle special order

A vehicle special order (VSO) is a legal order under Section 44 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, issued by the Secretary of State for Transport (Secretary of State).

A VSO allows a vehicle which does not comply with legal requirements, relating to construction, weight, equipment and use, to be used on GB roads. Among other things, VSOs may be made in respect of vehicles equipped with new or improved equipment, or types of equipment. 

The granting of a VSO does not exempt the vehicle from any regulation other than those specified in the order.

As part of the process of applying for a VSO, and before a decision is made on whether to list a vehicle as self-driving, applicants will be expected to provide evidence to satisfy the requirements outlined in the guidance on self-driving vehicles pilot scheme: information for applicants. These cover requirements for:

• the vehicle
• the safety case
• the safety management system (SMS)
• the operator of the deployment

Requirements for the vehicle’s Automated Driving System (ADS) have been drawn from requirements of the UN ADS Regulation. At the time of publication, references to the UN ADS Regulation refer to the draft regulation as presented at the 198th session of WP.29 in document WP29-198-09e.

The applicant’s evidence will include a safety case and an incident management plan. The incident management plan should set out:

• details on the detection of an incident
• protocols for a number of different scenarios
• post-incident procedures to enable passengers, other road users and first responders to work safely if the pilot vehicle is involved in an incident

Evidence will be reviewed by experts at VCA and DVSA, on behalf of the Secretary of State, to make a determination on whether requirements have been met. They will also be able to include additional conditions on the VSO specific to the deployment. VCA and DVSA may engage external experts, such as first responders, to input into the process at their discretion.

If the application is successful, the VSO will be issued and will authorise the use of the vehicles (identified by vehicle identification number (VIN) and/or registration number).

The VSO will identify the ways in which the vehicle does not comply with current legal requirements. Issuance of a VSO is ultimately at the discretion of the Secretary of State and will be subject to conditions. There is no guarantee as to whether an application will be accepted, and each case is judged on its own merits.     

Failure to meet any conditions attached to the VSO, including the submission of required reports throughout the lifetime of the deployment, will result in actions being taken, which could include the revocation of the VSO.

Register of listed vehicles

Vehicles will be listed if, in the Secretary of State’s opinion, they:

• are designed or adapted to be capable, in at least some circumstances or situations, of safely driving themselves
• may lawfully be used when driving themselves, in at least some circumstances or situations, on roads or other public places in GB (section 1(1)(a) of the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018)

A vehicle is ‘driving itself’ if it is operating in a mode in which it is not being controlled and does not need to be monitored by an individual. (section 8(1)(a) of the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018)

A register of listed self-driving vehicles will be maintained by the Department for Transport.

Automated passenger services permit

Operators intending to provide automated passenger services (APS) that resemble a taxi, private hire vehicle or public service vehicle are expected to obtain an APS permit from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). This is in addition to obtaining a VSO (if required) and being listed under section 1 of AEVA 2018.

Section 83 of the AV Act disapplies taxi, private hire vehicle and bus legislation when a permit holder is providing an automated passenger service in an area and in a vehicle in which services may be provided under the permit.

This is because vehicles being used without a driver are expected not to be able to meet the requirements of this legislation. However, the conditions set out in the permit will consider the boundaries within which the service can be provided, particularly the safety of passengers and other road users, and place the obligation to uphold them as a condition of the permit.

APS permits are granted under section 82 of the AV Act 2024 (which, along with part 5 of the act as a whole, is being commenced ahead of the rest of the act) and consequential regulations.

Applicants will be expected to provide a range of information, including details of their operational plan, safety management framework, and incident management plan. These details will be reviewed by a specialist team at DVSA for compliance with the APS permit requirements.

Additionally, an APS permit cannot be granted without the consent of the appropriate licensing or franchising body (referred to as consenting authorities). Before a permit can be granted, the act also requires the appropriate national authority to consult with traffic authorities (such as Transport for London (TfL) or Scottish Ministers) and emergency services that it considers are likely to be substantially affected if the permit is granted.

During the review of the permit application, DVSA will have the ability to attach additional conditions to the permit. These conditions will take into consideration any feedback from the consenting authorities, traffic authorities and local emergency services.

A permit will be issued subject to:  

• an applicant meeting the required criteria for an APS permit
• consent being granted by any relevant consenting authorities
• consultation of traffic authorities and emergency services

The duration of the permit will be decided on a case-by-case basis depending on the details of the deployment.    

See separate guidance on self-driving vehicles pilot scheme: information for applicants for more information on the safety, operational and reporting requirements associated with pilot deployments.

Consulting affected police forces

When exercising the Secretary of State’s duties under section 87(1) of the Automated Vehicles Act 2024, DVSA, acting on the Secretary of State’s behalf, will support consultation with affected police forces being carried out in a consistent and structured way. This supports a national assessment of policing implications before any APS permit is granted.

First responder involvement pre-deployment

Before a pilot deployment, piloting organisations are encouraged to engage with local first responder organisation(s). Engagement with relevant first responders is expected to form a key part of developing a robust incident management plan.

Where an APS permit is being sought, piloting organisations are strongly advised to engage with first responders. While it is not mandatory for first responders to respond to this engagement, it is highly encouraged that they do so.

The self-driving vehicles pilot scheme: information for applicants sets out the information that applicants will be expected to provide as part of their application. First responders may wish to consider what additional material they would seek from pilot organisations ahead of deployment and should reach out directly to the piloting organisation for further details. Examples might include the following.

The piloting organisation incident management plan.

The information that is required for safe interactions with pilot vehicles, which could include:

• how to identify a vehicle, including a list of registration plates
• how to make the vehicle safe for engagement including stopping a vehicle moving
• how to move a vehicle including recovery
• any specific circumstances that a piloting organisation needs to be aware of and engage - for example, horse-mounted officers or special protection units

The operation details and area and conditions of the application (VSO or APS). This should include times of operation, vehicle numbers and type of vehicles.

It may need to be highlighted to the piloting organisation if the area crosses into the area of another force or is on the boundary and confirm that they’ve reached out. For example, The Metropolitan Police and City of London Police.

Contact details for the piloting organisation, both for business-as-usual (BAU) operations and in the case of an emergency along with the hours of each.

Any training documentation required.

See the section of this guidance on recommended information from pilot organisations for first responders for further details.

Training expectations

We anticipate that piloting organisations will provide first responders with relevant training. This is to provide information on any differences a pilot AV may present to first responders in comparison to non-automated vehicles. For example, stopping a pilot AV from moving and making the vehicle safe to prevent sudden movement. This training may consist of documents, online or physical workshops.

The section of the guidance on documentation contains a list of suggested areas these materials could cover.

Contacting the piloting organisation

It is expected that the piloting organisation will provide first responders with both contact details for business-as-usual questions and an emergency contact.

The business-as-usual contact is expected to be available within reasonable hours and provide a response within a reasonable time frame. This contact is for non-urgent support or information questions, such as a request for more information on the vehicle to inform a protocol update or to provide non-critical feedback.

The emergency contact is recommended to be a single point of contact (SPOC) available at all times that the pilot vehicles are operational or parked in a public place. The emergency contact is to be used for urgent requests and as an escalation point of non-urgent issues. For example, an urgent request for vehicle data to assist in a critical situation or where a vehicle is causing or has the potential to create a blockage on the road network.

Once AVs pilots are on the road

From spring 2026, first responders may encounter pilot AVs during day-to-day duties and activities. It is important to understand how these interactions may differ from interactions with other types of vehicles.

Identification of an AV

There will be no requirement for any external indicator that the vehicle is an AV or for when the ADS is active. However, there is several ways a first responder can identify that the vehicle has an ADS fitted.

Visual indicators

It is expected that most AVs used for the pilots will be fitted with noticeable additional hardware on the exterior of the vehicle such as sensors or cameras. These may be fitted on the roof or to the sides of the vehicle.

It is recommended that piloting organisations provide first responders with a list of number plates of vehicles taking part in a pilot scheme to allow easy identification.

DVLA database / Law Enforcement Data Service (LEDS)

All listed vehicles will be denoted as AV capable within the DVLA database. This AV flag will showcase a binary ‘yes’ / ‘no’ setting according to whether or not the vehicle is listed under section 1 of AEVA 2018. This flag is fed into the new LEDS computer system allowing front line officers to easily check the capabilities of the vehicle.

General operation of a pilot AV

It is an expectation of the pilots that AVs operate safely in environments populated mostly by non-AV vehicles and road users. It is accepted that pilot vehicles will need to operate in a mixed traffic environment and AVs must be able to operate appropriately. This could consist of other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders, motorcyclists, streetsweepers and vehicles driven by humans and therefore must operate appropriately.

Giving direction to a pilot AV

A pilot AV must be able to receive and understand appropriate communications commonly used from authorised persons. Pilot AVs must adhere to current legislation including having the ability to follow traffic direction from authorised persons. Legislation to authorise persons to direct traffic include but are not limited to:

• blue light services
• national traffic authorities such as National Highways or Transport Scotland traffic officers
• DVSA front-line services
• Border Force
• traffic operatives at roadworks

These appropriate communications could include blue lights, sirens or hand and other signals.

How the vehicle will react to blue light vehicles

It is expected that pilot vehicles will react appropriately to blue light vehicles, in accordance with existing traffic rules. This will be assessed as part of the safety case.

First responders may wish to contact the piloting organisation for more information on how specifically their vehicles are expected to react to blue light vehicles in different scenarios.

Incidents involving a pilot AV

Any vehicle has the potential to be involved in an incident when operating on public roads. It is the responsibility of the relevant first responder organisations to be prepared with the relevant information for their safety.

Preparing for an incident

It is recommended that all first responders ensure their processes and procedures are updated with the relevant information for incidents that could involve an AV.

This could include areas such as:

Type of incident / intervention	Areas of suggested focus
Securing an AV including stopping an AV from moving after an incident	This could include how first responders will contact the relevant piloting organisation to remotely stop / grant manual control. It also may require a consideration of the equipment carried by units to enable this.
Extraction of people from the vehicle	Access information about the vehicle in a timely manner to enable the extraction of trapped persons from the vehicle.
Securing a scene	Preventing a pilot vehicle from encroaching on a secured area, particularly a temporary one such as an incident scene.
Emergency movement of pilot vehicles, even if damaged	Consider how a pilot vehicle may need to be moved in an emergency.
Recovery of an AV	Consider what information could be provided regarding the transport of damaged vehicles, towing and storage of a vehicle.

Updating best practice during pilots

Pilot deployments of automated vehicles are expected to be a learning opportunity for all parties. First responders can provide feedback directly to the piloting organisations and to the Department for Transport teams at the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV), VCA and DVSA.

It is expected that following this feedback and experience during deployments that piloting organisations may wish to update their incident management plan. Agreed updates should be actioned as soon reasonably practicable. Any updates that have the potential to impact first responder processes should be reflected in any live training documentation. Piloting organisations should notify relevant points of contact of the update.

Following an update, it is important that all relevant first responder protocols are reviewed to ensure they are reflective of the latest information.

Reporting incidents and investigations

If a pilot vehicle is involved in an incident or appears to commit an offence there is expected to be a report and there may be an investigation.

Reporting of incidents

Incidents are expected to be reported in line with current legislation. In addition, a report is required to be made to the Department for Transport in line with the VSO and/or APS conditions. See the section of this guidance reporting a concern about a pilot self-driving vehicle for more information.

Police forces and other enforcement agencies are invited to notify any incidents or collisions they become aware of via the portal. Where further investigation is required, there may be a requirement to follow up with the notifying body.

Police investigations and offences

Following an incident, there may need to be an investigation into the circumstances of the situation. The piloting organisation is required to co-operate with the investigation.

The police retain the primary responsibility for vehicle offence investigations for pilot vehicles, supported, if requested, by the Department for Transport or its agencies.

All current police powers and procedures are expected to be exercisable, including the retention of the vehicle and any on-scene evidence. Depending on the circumstances of the incident, and with mutual agreement, the investigation may be handed over to the Department for Transport and its agencies with the appropriate agreements in place. This could be to provide technical assistance, additional investigative support or data analysis assistance and will only be done at the request of the relevant force.

The department may undertake a separate regulatory investigation to establish the validity of the VSO and APS permit moving forward.

Data from pilot vehicles for use in an investigation

The police have the same powers around vehicle data for pilot vehicles as they do for conventional vehicles under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE). Please be advised that the dataset for pilot vehicles may be more detailed and contain information considered personal data. Officers are advised to act accordingly in these circumstances.

Liability

The liability arising from the operation of a pilot vehicle depends on the circumstances of the incident.  

If the vehicle is not being controlled or overseen by a safety driver, or where the vehicle has received assistance that supports but does not itself amount to driving, liability may fall to the piloting organisation. This will however need to be established on a case-by-case basis through investigation. Alternatively, or additionally, the vehicle’s insurer may bear civil liability for an accident cause by the vehicle.  

If a pilot vehicle is manually controlled by someone, for example a first responder, then the authorised person that takes manual control assumes liability for that vehicle’s movements until such time as control is handed to another.  

If handed to another authorised person, the original person authorised should verify the authorisation of the person it’s been handed to.  

If handed back to the ADS, the original person authorised must follow the recognised hand back procedure and make effort to verify the handover procedure has been recognised.  

If for any reason a vehicle is being controlled or overseen by a safety driver, that person is expected to be liable for the actions of the vehicle as a driver under current legislation.

Sanctions 

DVSA / VCA are empowered on behalf of the Secretary of State to suspend, amend or withdraw the APS permits or withdraw the VSO if there is due concern. This will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The decision to support the continuation of a pilot vehicle maintaining their VSO and/or APS permit will be made at appropriate points in the incident investigation.

Dealing with a pilot AV committing a moving vehicle offence

If a pilot vehicle commits a moving vehicle offence captured by automated camera systems / ANPR (automatic number plate recognition), a penalty charge notice (PCN) should be issued to the registered keeper, which is anticipated to be the piloting organisation in the majority of cases.

For police officers wishing to issue a ticket to a pilot AV for a vehicle offence they should follow protocol within their force.

Monitoring of safety for pilot deployments

You can contact us if you have a concern about a pilot vehicle or piloting organisation.

Piloting reporting requirements

Applicants will be required to submit notification, short-term and periodic reports throughout the duration of the pilot deployment. The ongoing submission of reports will be set as conditions attached to the VSO. These reports will allow us to monitor the safety of pilot vehicles throughout their deployment.

Read more about these reports in the section on Piloting reporting obligations in the guidance for applicants.

These reports relate to: 

1) Safety related occurrences.

The occurrences listed in Annex 3 of the UN ADS regulation will be used to inform reportable occurrences. Reportable occurrences will be set out upon issuance of a VSO and will include reporting of, for example, collisions and traffic infractions. 

2) Vehicle cyber security incidents.

Vehicle cyber security reports are to be submitted that comply with the requirements outlined in section 7.4. of UN Regulation 155 on cyber security.  

3) Operator cyber security incidents.

Monitoring, reporting and learning

In addition to the reporting requirements set out above, DfT is intending to gather additional data in order to ensure that valuable lessons regarding the deployment of AVs are learnt. This information is to help inform the future development of AV regulation. As part of this monitoring, reporting and learning programme, DfT welcomes any feedback from first responders and may request further information.

Report a concern about a pilot self-driving vehicle

If you, as a first responder, have a concern about a listed self-driving vehicle, please contact the pilot organisation in the first instance. If you are unable to resolve your issue or have a safety concern, please contact the DVSA CAMS team via the AV notifications portal to report your concern.

Recommended information from pilot organisations for first responders

We recommend that pilot organisations make the following information available to first responders.

How first responders can identify the vehicle is an AV and interact when they are:

• on foot
• on bicycle, motorbike or mounted (horse)
• inside a blue light vehicle
• beside / in close proximity to the AV
• inside the AV

Operational design domain as agreed in the VSO and APS permit.

Location of any information, QR codes, NFC tags etc on the vehicle.

Any considerations rescuers may need to have if a person is trapped by the vehicle.

How to disable the vehicle.

How to move the vehicle if it is causing a blockage or at risk of causing a blockage.

How to activate manual control of the vehicle.

How to recover the vehicle.

Any special considerations for the storage of the vehicle including preservation of evidence.

How to access vehicle data including for the preservation of evidence:

• verification of authorised personnel
• authentication of data for evidentiary purposes
• any special tools / cables / software required to access the data must be provided to the police

Electrical system overview over and above any base vehicle documentation.

If a base vehicle document for first responders exists, this should be included in the relevant documentation and kept up to date so that first responders only have to access one document.

It is recommended that any training documentation should be made available in an electronic accessible format.

Definitions

Term	Definition
Authorised automated vehicle	A vehicle that has been authorised as self-driving under the Automated Vehicles Act 2024.
Authorised persons	For the purposes of this document, a human authorised to direct traffic under UK law.
Automated driving system (ADS)	Both the hardware and software that enables a vehicle to execute the dynamic driving task.
Automated vehicle (AV)	A vehicle technically capable of operating without human   input on the road in a manner that is both safe and legal.
Blue light services	Services that are legally allowed to use blue lights in the operation of their duties.
Electric vehicle (EV)	A vehicle that has a powertrain that runs on electricity as opposed to an internal combustion engine (ICE).
First responder (FR)	A person that is part of the emergency services or responds to an incident scene not including piloting organisation staff, affiliates or third-party support services.
Fixed penalty notice (FPN)	A letter that may be issued for road traffic offences and offer an opportunity to settle an offence without the need to go through the court system. This is a criminal matter and will be issued by the police, DVSA or local authorities.
Incident	An occurrence that happens outside of normal operating and driving behaviour up to and including impact crashes.
Listed automated vehicle	A vehicle that is listed under the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 as having the capability of safely and lawfully driving itself in at some least circumstances or situations.
Notice of intended prosecution (NIP)	A letter to inform a potential defendant that they may be prosecuted for an offence they have committed, whilst the incident is still fresh in their memory.
Penalty charge notice (PCN) / moving traffic violation	A letter that may be issued for a civil contravention of rules, such as parking in restricted zones or using a bus lane. This is a civil matter and can be issued by local authorities.
Piloting organisation (PO)	An organisation that applies for a VSO and/or APS permit for the purposes of piloting automated vehicles without a safety driver.
Road safety agent	A human engaged in directing traffic, enforcing traffic laws, and/or responding to traffic incidents.
Safety case	A safety case means structured documentation that provides a compelling, comprehensible and valid case that the ADS meets the relevant ADS requirements and is free from unreasonable risks to the ADS vehicle user(s) and other road users.
Safety management system (SMS)	A safety management system (SMS) means a systematic approach to managing safety that encompasses and integrates organisational, human, and technical factors.
Traffic infraction / Moving traffic offence	An offence defined as a traffic infraction under current legislation, for example, speeding or yellow box infractions.
Traffic officer	An authorised officer that operates as part of National Highways, Transport Scotland, Welsh Government.
Vehicle recovery agent	A person who is authorised to recover vehicles when they are not able to be moved due to damage or breakdown.