Waymo starts driving in Madrid ahead of a planned 2027 robotaxi launch in Spain

What Waymo announced

Waymo said on 20 October 2026 that it is preparing a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Spain, starting in the Region of Madrid, and aims to welcome its first riders in 2027. Electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles were expected on the region's streets in the coming days.

The rollout is phased. Vehicles will first be driven manually, then go through technical validation with trained local autonomous specialists behind the wheel. Waymo says it is working with national, regional and local authorities and introducing its technology to emergency services, and that it is investing in local operations with partners it does not name.

The numbers Waymo gives

Waymo says it has completed more than 20 million trips and serves hundreds of thousands of commercial rides each week. It also says it has driven more than 400 million fully autonomous kilometres, with 95% fewer crashes involving serious injury or worse than human drivers in the cities where it operates. Those safety figures are Waymo's own analysis.

Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana calls Madrid "an integral part of our growing global presence". The post also quotes Ignacio Lijarcio, president of the Spanish Road Safety Foundation (FESVIAL), and Mar Cogollos, director of AESLEME, the Spanish Association for the Study of Spinal Cord Injury. Lijarcio says technology "reaches its true purpose when placed at the service of people", and Cogollos argues that autonomous vehicles can reduce traffic casualties by removing human error. Waymo also points Spanish readers to a sign-up page for updates.

What changed for European robotaxi plans

Madrid joins a list of non-US plans that Waymo has published in 2026, including Munich in August, Tokyo with taxi operator Nihon Kotsu and the GO app for 2027, Singapore and London in September, and Toronto four days before Madrid. Each follows the same pattern as US launches: manual driving, supervised validation, then riders. For Spain the open question is regulation. The post names no permit, licence or legal framework under which driverless rides would carry paying passengers, and does not state whether a safety driver will be required at launch. In the US, Waymo's newest launches in Denver, San Diego and Tampa began with waitlists and staged access.

What to watch next

The next steps are the start of supervised testing in Madrid, any authorisation from Spanish authorities, and the service area for the first riders in 2027. Fleet size, prices and the first neighbourhoods to be served are not stated in the announcement. More autonomous vehicle coverage is under Robotics & Physical AI.

Questions people ask

When will Waymo launch in Madrid?

Waymo says it aims to welcome its first riders in the Region of Madrid in 2027. No month is given.

Which cars will Waymo use in Madrid?

Electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles, which Waymo said would arrive on regional streets in the days after its 20 October 2026 announcement.

Does Waymo have a permit to operate in Spain?

The announcement does not name any permit or licence. Waymo says it is engaging national, regional and local authorities.

Sources

1. ¡Llegamos a Madrid! Waymo is coming to Spain (Waymo, 20 Oct 2026)
2. Hello Toronto! Waymo is En Route (Waymo, 16 Oct 2026)
3. Opening our doors to Tokyo riders in 2027 with Nihon Kotsu and GO (Waymo, 14 Sep 2026)