28 October 2025
Brits most concerned in Europe about self-driving vehicles
- Almost three quarters of people in the UK are worried about safety
- But there is cautious optimism, with almost half of Brits hoping it could make them less stressed in traffic
- Allianz calls for unified regulatory and data framework
New research from Allianz has revealed that people in the UK are the most concerned in Europe about automated vehicles, i.e. self-driving cars.
The survey quizzed more than 8,000 people from the UK and six European countries to find out attitudes to automated vehicles.
Across six different areas, more than 70% of people in the UK said they had concerns about this emerging technology, compared to 64% of Germans. And almost three quarters of Brits (74%) said they are specifically worried that automated vehicles may not be safe enough in unpredictable situations.
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| Concern | UK | France | Czech Republic | Italy | Austria | Swiss | Germany |
| I worry that automated vehicles may not be safe enough in unpredictable situations | 74% | 71% | 67% | 67% | 67% | 67% | 69% |
| I feel uneasy about not having control over the vehicle's action | 73% | 66% | 65% | 65% | 65% | 65% | 65% |
| I am concerned about the privacy and security of data collected by automated vehicles | 69% | 65% | 60% | 60% | 60% | 60% | 64% |
| I worry that automated vehicles may not be safe enough in unpredictable situations | 62% | 58% | 62% | 62% | 62% | 62% | 49% |
| I am worried about how automated vehicles make ethical decisions in critical situations | 71% | 68% | 71% | 71% | 71% | 71% | 65% |
| I feel that automated driving technology is still too new and untested | 76% | 76% | 72% | 72% | 72% | 72% | 73% |
| Total | 71% | 67% | 66% | 66% | 66% | 66% | 64% |
Questions: To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about automated vehicles? (Strongly agree + agree)
While self-driving cars may seem like something from the distant future, they are already common in places such as San Francisco, where automated taxis have been available to the public since 2024. And automated cars could start appearing on UK roads as early as next year when small scale pilots of self-driving taxi and bus-services are set to begin.
Cautious optimism
However, the research did show that people in the UK are cautiously optimistic about the potential benefits of automated vehicles.
More than half (54%) of people agreed it would mean they’d be able to do other things during journeys, and 45% of people thought it would help them be less stressed in traffic.
And there was positivity around the effects self-driving vehicles could have on society, with almost two thirds (62%) of Brits agreeing that it could offer greater access to transportation for people with disabilities and the elderly.
Data and Regulation
With automated vehicles now a case of ‘when’, not ‘if’, Allianz is also calling for co-operation on regulations and data governance in the UK and across Europe.
To begin a safe transition from traditional human-driven vehicles to automated driving, there has to be collaboration on data exchange between carmakers, insurers, policymakers, regulators and law enforcement.
Should an accident happen involving self-driving vehicles, insurers will need timely access to data from all parties involved to establish what happened. And there will need to be regulations and laws in place for drivers and insurers to be confident about who is liable.
Alexandra Wyard, Director of Technical Underwriting at Allianz UK, said:
“The UK has been undergoing an evolution in mobility for some time. We saw driverless trains on the Docklands Light Railway as early as the 1980s and have had driver assistance features in cars for nearly two decades – automatic breaking and parking assistance have been commonplace for the last ten years. But for many, fully automated vehicles (AVs) still feel like something unfamiliar and scary.
“The Automated Vehicles Act came into force in 2024, providing a new legal landscape and enables self-driving vehicles to operate legally on UK roads from 2026. The Act positions the UK as a global leader in AV regulation. But we need to look quickly at the role of insurers to make sure owners of these vehicles have the support they need to confidently take this next step in the evolution of driving.
“A lot of drivers remain concerned about what will happen if there is a crash when the car is in autonomous mode. Timely access to data from vehicles is going to be a necessity to help law enforcement and insurers know what happened and who is liable. How this information will be safely shared still remains an outstanding question.
“It’s an incredibly exciting time, but the speed required to find answers to these questions must match the pace of the changes we are facing.”
Allianz Motor Day
For a more in-depth look at the European survey results, please join the 13th Allianz Motor Day, hosted by the Allianz Center of Technology in Germany. You can stream the event here (0900-1100).
Key highlights of the event include:
- Exclusive launch of a new pan-European survey on public perception and acceptance of autonomous driving
- Presentation of proprietary Allianz research assessing the real-world safety impact of driver assistance systems, based on comprehensive claims analysis
- Engaging keynotes and panel discussions featuring Allianz Board Members, AZT experts and prominent voices from politics, research, and industry
- Live demonstrations of autonomous driving technologies for on-site participants
Additional links for further content:
Report “HANDS Off – the safety promise of autonomous mobility
Media Contact:
Ben Moss | [email protected] Tel: 07385 435 568
About Allianz Holdings plc
Allianz Holdings plc is the non-regulated holding company which owns the principal insurance operations of Allianz SE in Great Britain including Allianz Insurance.
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The Allianz Group is one of the world's leading insurers and asset managers with around 128 million* private and corporate customers in nearly 70 countries. Allianz customers benefit from a broad range of personal and corporate insurance services, ranging from property, life and health insurance to assistance services to credit insurance and global business insurance. Allianz is one of the world’s largest investors, managing around 768 billion euros** on behalf of its insurance customers. Furthermore, our asset managers PIMCO and Allianz Global Investors manage about 1.9 trillion euros** of third-party assets. Thanks to our systematic integration of ecological and social criteria in our business processes and investment decisions, we are among the leaders in the insurance industry in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. In 2024, over 156,000 employees achieved total business volume of 179.8 billion euros and an operating profit of 16.0 billion euros for the group.
* As of December 31, 2024. Including non-consolidated entities with Allianz customers.
** As of March 31, 2025.
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