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This is a Level 4 autonomous vehicle:
Source: Photo taken by the passer-by and used with permission
If you think it looks like a Jaguar I-PACE model, it is.
As of this writing in mid-2025, it is currently the most mature self-driving car in the United States.
It is just one level short of the fully autonomous Level 5, as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).
The primary difference is that Level 4 autonomous driving is limited to defined geographical regions, whereas Level 5 autonomous driving can operate anywhere.
Yet, this car is stuck (well, not really stuck) by the side of the road and would not move.
It was repeatedly crying out for assistance from its external speakers:
“Please close the left-rear door. Thank you.”
As part of the Waymo robotaxi fleet (consisting of over 1,500 cars), it had just dropped off some paying passengers who did not realize that they had not closed the door completely before running into the store.
Fortunately, a passer-by heard its cries and closed the door for it.
And then the Waymo robotaxi drove off with no one inside, presumably to pick up other passengers.
Waymo
Because Waymo is a privately held subsidiary of Alphabet (commonly known as Google), investors can not buy Waymo stock directly. Although investors bullish on this type of technology can indirectly gain exposure via Alphabet stock (GOOGL).
ApolloGo
China’s most advanced autonomous vehicle is the ApolloGo.
As part of a robotaxi fleet available in more than ten cities in China, the ApolloGo has given over 11 million rides.
ApolloGo is not publicly traded; however, investors can gain exposure by purchasing the shares of its parent company, Baidu (BIDU).
Zoox
The Zoox (pronounced “zooks,” rhyming with “books” and “cooks”) is another Level 4 autonomous vehicle in the United States.
It looks quite different because it is a bi-directional vehicle with no steering wheel.
Source: Tomás Del Coro, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
While it is not currently taking paying customers as a robotaxi service, it is being pilot tested in controlled environments.
Again, no direct stock purchase, but investors can purchase stock in its parent company, Amazon (AMZN).
Consumer-Owned Autonomous Vehicles
Waymo, ApolloGo, and Zoox are the most advanced autonomous vehicles in the world. And only the best can be robotaxis.
Anything short of Level 4 will require a human to be present in the driver’s seat, in the event that the autonomous system encounters a situation it cannot handle and requests that the driver take over.
Therefore, Level 3 autonomy cannot be used as robotaxis, but it can be used in consumer-owned autonomous vehicles, also known as PAVs (Personal Autonomous Vehicles).
Level 3 PAVs
The Honda Legend is the first PAV to be certified as a Level 3 vehicle.
Level 3 means that the human sitting in the driver seat can take their hands off the wheel and does not have to look at the road.
He or she is present only if the system requires them to take over driving.
The Honda Legend is only available in limited quantities in Japan.
Ticker symbol for Honda is HMC.
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class and EQS are also available with Level 3 autonomy in Germany. The ticker symbol for Mercedes-Benz Group AG is MBGYY.
BMW 7‑Series with Personal Pilot offers Level 3 automated driving on approved highways in Germany. The ticker BMWKY represents a U.S. dollar-denominated American Depositary Receipt (ADR) for BMW, traded over-the-counter (OTC).
That’s it. It is lonely at the top.
General Motors
General Motors (GM) offers cars marketed as “Hands-Free Driving” on select models of Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC, which are labeled as having “Super Cruise” or “Ultra Cruise” features.
MotorTrend awarded Super Cruise the Best Hands-Free Driving Tech award.
This system is often categorized as Level 2+ autonomy, meaning it has slightly more enhanced features than standard Level 2.
Although according to SAE definitions, there is no official Level 2+; only Level 2 exists.
Yes, you can take your hands off the steering wheel; but only when the system deems it safe for you to do so by lighting up the steering wheel green.
The car features an infrared camera-based eye-tracking system to ensure you remain focused on the road.
Tesla (TSLA)
Even though Tesla’s FSD stands for “Full Self-Driving”, is it really self-driving when you must have hands on the wheel?
Per Tesla’s Model Y manual, it says:
You must keep your hands on the steering wheel while Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is engaged.
To enforce this, the cabin camera actively monitors driver attentiveness, and the system may occasionally prompt the driver to apply slight pressure to the steering wheel if necessary.
Why does GM allow hands-free and Tesla does not?
Because GM uses LiDAR and only allows hands-free operation in geographical areas where it has high-precision LiDAR maps, Tesla does not use LiDAR; instead, it relies on standard GPS maps.
Ford Motors (FORD)
Ford’s Blue Cruise is very similar to GM’s Super Cruise.
It allows hands-off wheels on designated roads with LiDAR mapping.
While it is currently at Level 2 autonomy, it has plans to achieve Level 3 autonomy, which is targeted for 2026.
Legally speaking, Level 2 means that the human is “driving” and is responsible for the car’s behaviour. Level 3 means that the computer is driving.
Audi A8
The Audi A8 was initially built for Level 3, and may very well be capable of Level 3.
However, we won’t know because Audi never activated this feature, citing concerns related to legal, regulatory, and infrastructure issues.
Therefore, the Audi A8 available in the United States is at Level 2 autonomy.
This means that the driver must remain attentive and be ready to take over at any moment.
The vehicle can simultaneously control its speed (adaptive cruise control) and steer (lane-keeping assistance).
It requires hands-on wheels.
Audi itself is not publicly traded but is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG (VWAGY).
Rivian (RIVN)
Rivian Automotive has Enhanced Highway Assist, a hands-free driving capability, on their Gen 2 R1 vehicles on mapped highways.
Lucid Motors (LCID)
According to Autoweek, Lucid’s DreamDrive Pro in their Air sedans can get over-the-air software updates that enable the vehicle to perform Hands-Free Drive Assist and Hands-Free Lane Change Assist.
Final Notes
This is a rapidly changing landscape, as many other automakers (which we don’t have time to mention) are making advances to their advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) to bring autonomous self-driving capabilities to personal vehicles.
We hope you enjoyed this article on autonomous vehicles stocks.
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Disclaimer: The information above is for educational purposes only and should not be treated as investment advice. The strategy presented would not be suitable for investors who are not familiar with exchange traded options. Any readers interested in this strategy should do their own research and seek advice from a licensed financial adviser.
