How the scores work BETA
The AV Readiness Map rates all 50 states and D.C. on how ready they are for driverless passenger vehicles, such as robotaxis. This is a beta: the method is a draft and may change.
The Readiness score
Each state gets a Readiness score from 0 to 100:
- 50% is the Legal score: what the state’s laws and rules allow.
- 50% is the average of the state’s track record of AV operations and its ecosystem of public support, each rated 0 to 4.
States are ranked by Readiness. The Legal score is shown beside it for anyone who wants the law on its own.
1. Legal score (law only)
First, each state is placed in one of four stages, based on the furthest step its law allows. The stage sets the range the Legal score can fall in.
| Stage | What the law allows | Tier | Score range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Blocked | Lagging | 0–19 |
| 1 | Supervised testing | Developing | 20–44 |
| 2 | Driverless testing | Emerging | 45–64 |
| 3 | Driverless commercial | Leading | 65–100 |
A state with no AV law at all is placed at the bottom of Stage 1 and labelled “No framework”. Stage 0 is used only where the law requires a human driver or bars automated vehicles.
Then 13 questions, in four groups, place the state within its range. Each question is scored from 0 (the law is silent or says no) to 4 (the law clearly provides for it).
Permitting 30% of the Legal score
- Does the law name a lead agency, and does it run a published AV program?
- Is there a legal path for driverless operation beyond testing?
- Can automated vehicles carry paying passengers?
- Is the permit process clear and predictable?
Liability & insurance 25% of the Legal score
- Who is the operator, for traffic-law purposes, when no one is driving?
- Are minimum insurance amounts set for AV operation?
- Is there a process for issuing a traffic citation to a driverless vehicle?
- Must AV crashes be reported to a state agency?
Operating rules 25% of the Legal score
- Must operators file a plan for interacting with police and first responders?
- Must operators report data on their operations?
- May a vehicle run without manual controls such as a steering wheel or pedals?
Preemption 20% of the Legal score
- Does state law keep cities and counties from setting their own AV rules?
- Does state law bar local AV taxes and fees?
2. Track record (0 to 4)
What has actually happened on the state’s roads, counting passenger services only. Freight and trucking do not count.
- 4: driverless service open to the public for at least six months
- 3: driverless testing or pilots on public roads, or commercial service with a safety driver
- 2: public-road testing with a safety driver in the last three years
- 1: closed-course testing only, or public-road activity more than three years ago
- 0: none found
3. Ecosystem (0 to 4)
One point for each of these that the state has:
- a state agency AV program or permit office
- an AV task force or advisory council set up by law or executive order
- a publicly funded testbed or proving ground
- a university AV research center or test facility
Ranges and ties
Some items have not been verified yet. Rather than guess, we show a range: unverified items count as 0 at the low end and 4 at the high end. States are ranked by the low end. When two states’ ranges overlap, they are shown as tied (for example “T-3”). A score marked Provisional has more than 30% of its legal questions still unverified.
What is not in the score
- Pending bills. They can raise a score only once they become law.
- Freight and trucking. This version covers passenger vehicles only.
- Any view on whether a state, company or bill is good or bad. The map measures readiness; it does not endorse.
About this beta
Each state was researched from statutes, regulations, executive orders and agency pages. Scores and ranks may change as research continues. Source citations are not yet published on the state pages. Data as of Oct. 28, 2026; methodology version 1.0 (draft).