Self-driving cars in Hungary no longer belong entirely to the distant future. Level 4 autonomous vehicles have already been demonstrated in real traffic in a Hungarian city, commercial robotaxis are operating in nearby Croatia, and Germany has put a driverless truck into regular service on public roads. Europe’s regulatory framework is also rapidly catching up. But how close is Hungary really to roads where vehicles can operate without a human driver?
The answer depends heavily on what counts as “self-driving”. Many systems already available in passenger cars can steer, accelerate, brake and even navigate complex roads, but still require continuous human supervision. Truly driverless technology represents a much bigger step.
Self-driving cars in Hungary: Level 2 is not Level 4
The distinction is important.
At Level 2, systems can control steering and speed simultaneously, but the driver remains responsible at all times. More advanced Level 3 systems can take responsibility for driving under certain conditions, although a human may still have to take over.
Level 4 is fundamentally different: within a defined operating area or set of conditions, the automated driving system can perform the driving task without requiring a human to supervise it continuously.
The EU already has legislation covering the type approval of fully automated vehicles. The relevant EU regulation, updated again in 2026, includes fully automated vehicles designed to transport passengers or goods within predefined areas.
A further major step came in June, when the UNECE adopted the first global regulatory framework for fully autonomous driving systems. The rules establish common requirements for safety management, testing, validation and monitoring once vehicles are in service.
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Europe is moving beyond experimental prototypes
The most important change is that Level 4 technology is beginning to leave closed test tracks.
Germany provided a striking example in September. Swedish technology company Einride and supermarket chain Lidl placed a cab-less Level 4 electric truck into regular commercial operation on German public roads.
According to Lidl, the vehicle transports goods between a distribution centre and a nearby shop in Hesse up to three times a day. Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority approved the project, and no driver or safety operator is required inside the vehicle.
Robotaxis are progressing quickly as well. Waymo announced in August that it was preparing to bring its fully autonomous ride-hailing technology to Munich. The company says testing will begin with trained specialists behind the wheel before a planned commercial launch towards the end of 2027.
Bolt and Lucid, meanwhile, announced plans in September to deploy 25,000 Level 4 robotaxis across major European cities, with Bolt targeting an autonomous fleet of 100,000 vehicles by 2035, Reuters reported.
Driverless technology has already reached the region
Perhaps the most relevant development for Hungary is taking place much closer to home.
In Zagreb, passengers can already order autonomous rides through the Uber app. The service combines technology from China’s Pony.ai with Croatian autonomous-mobility company Verne.
Uber announced in August that Zagreb had become the first European city where customers could book an autonomous vehicle through its platform. A licensed operator is still sitting behind the wheel during the initial phase, but the companies intend to move towards fully driverless operation.
Even supervised systems are spreading geographically. Villanyautósok reported on Monday that Czechia had become the seventh European country to approve Tesla’s FSD Supervised system, following neighbouring Slovenia earlier in September.
However, Tesla’s current European system still requires human supervision and should not be confused with Level 4 driverless technology.
Hungary is already testing Level 4 vehicles in real traffic
Hungary itself is no longer limited to laboratory testing.
On 29 August, Level 4-equipped Zeekr 001 test vehicles from the ZalaZONE programme drove in real public traffic in central Zalaegerszeg.
According to ZalaZONE, the programme is intended to test advanced autonomous-driving technology outside the controlled environment of the proving ground and under genuine urban traffic conditions.
That does not mean ordinary Hungarians can already summon a driverless taxi. It does mean, however, that the technological infrastructure and testing environment needed for such systems already exist in the country.
What is likely to arrive first in Hungary?
The first genuinely driverless vehicles in Hungary may not be privately owned cars.
European developments suggest that robotaxis operating within restricted urban zones, autonomous airport or public-transport shuttles, and driverless logistics vehicles travelling along fixed routes are more likely to arrive first.
These applications are easier to control because the vehicles operate inside a clearly defined area and under predictable conditions. A car capable of driving anywhere in Hungary – through Budapest traffic, on rural roads, in snow and across national borders – poses a far greater technical and regulatory challenge.
So Hungary is not yet on the verge of replacing human drivers altogether. But the transition from experiments towards practical deployment has clearly begun.
With Level 4 vehicles already being tested on Hungarian public roads, robotaxis operating in neighbouring Croatia and fully driverless commercial vehicles entering service elsewhere in the EU, the question surrounding self-driving cars in Hungary is increasingly shifting from whether they will arrive to what form they will take when they do.
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