Several years ago, self-driving cars seemed nearly ready to take over the roads.

The 2019 AVRI adds five new countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Finland, Israel and Norway) for a total of 25; new measures including a consumer opinion poll on AVs; and provides greater insights into individual countries, drawing on the expertise of colleagues across the KPMG network. 

Once again, The Netherlands ranked #1. Notably, it is working with neighboring countries to launch huge platoons of driverless trucks to transport flowers on major “Tulip Corridor” routes from Amsterdam to Antwerp and Rotterdam to the Ruhr valley. 

Singapore, a powerhouse of technological innovation, ranked #2. With a leading university, it has created a test town for driverless vehicles complete with traffic lights, bus stops, skyscrapers and a rain machine that recreates its stormy tropical weather.

Countries were assessed on 25 different measures within four pillars: policy & legislation; technology & innovation; infrastructure; and consumer acceptance.

New this year, KPMG conducted consumer opinion research to better understand public sentiment about AVs. The findings revealed a striking correlation between countries lower in AV preparedness having the most positive opinion regarding AVs.