New rules governing the use of "self-driving" terms for automated vehicles have been laid before Parliament, effective from July 7th, 2026. The regulations are designed to prevent manufacturers mislabelling vehicles as autonomous without proper authorisation, which could confuse drivers about their responsibilities and the vehicle's capabilities.
The Department for Transport has published its response to a government consultation on protecting specific expressions used in marketing automated vehicles. The core purpose of these new rules is to safeguard public safety by preventing misleading marketing claims that could undermine trust in the authorisation process. Without restrictions, there was a significant risk that manufacturers could market vehicles as 'self-driving' without undergoing rigorous testing and evaluation.
A key outcome of the consultation is the reservation of several terms exclusively for vehicles that have been officially authorised or listed as capable of safely driving themselves. These protected terms include 'automated', 'automated driving', 'autonomous', 'autonomous driving', 'drive autonomously', 'drive itself', 'driverless', and 'self-driving'. The government has clarified, however, that these terms will not be used when describing specific features or parts of a vehicle, such as windscreen wipers or emergency braking.
Other terms, including 'robotaxi' or 'AI driver', were suggested during the consultation but are not explicitly protected under Section 78 of the Automated Vehicles Act. However, they will still be regulated under a broader 'confusion offence' set out in Section 79, which ensures that any marketing communication likely to mislead end-users into believing an unauthorised vehicle can drive itself will be subject to enforcement.
The government has stated it will keep this under review and may protect further terms in the future if necessary. Enforcement of these new marketing offences falls under the duty of the Secretary of State for Transport, with departmental agencies expected to carry out practical enforcement using civil powers under Schedule 5 of the AV Act. Should a breach lead to a criminal prosecution and conviction, the AV Act stipulates a maximum penalty of a two-year prison term, a fine, or both.
The Department for Transport has acknowledged that some respondents expressed interest in further guidance on Part 4 of the AV Act, which deals with misleading marketing. The government is considering developing additional resources to support manufacturers and suppliers in understanding their obligations under these new regulations.