Automated vehicle trial guidelines

AVs have the potential to improve road safety, productivity, mobility and environmental outcomes. To achieve these benefits, industry and governments must test AVs in the real world. This helps everyone to understand and improve how AVs interact with other road users and unique environmental conditions.  

Vehicles are not yet legally allowed to operate in highly or fully automated driving mode on public roads. To safely trial this emerging technology, you'll need to work with local road transport agencies to secure permission and exemptions. The Guidelines explain the requirements for this process, helping industry and governments complete trials safely and effectively on Australian roads.

Purpose of the guidelines

When you apply for permission to trial AV technology on Australian roads, you must meet the requirements in the state or territory you plan to do the trial.  

The Guidelines:  

• support nationally consistent conditions for automated vehicle trials in Australia  
• provide certainty and clarity to industry regarding expectations when trialling in Australia  
• help road transport agencies manage trials in their own state or territory as well as across state borders  
• establish minimum standards of safety  
• help assure the public that roads are being used safely  
• help raise awareness and acceptance of automated vehicles in the community.  

Getting started

You’ll work with relevant state or territory road transport agencies to get approval for your trial. Applications can be made for:  

• trials of any type of automated vehicle technology  
• trials of any size  
• trials of a commercial or non-commercial nature  
• trials across jurisdictional borders.  

Vehicles can’t legally operate in highly or fully automated driving mode on public roads in Australia without a permit or exemption. All states and territories have helped facilitate automated vehicle trials with overseas organisations in recent years.  

Local contact information

Follow these links to contact the relevant local agency:  

• Australian Capital Territory  
• New South Wales  
• Northern Territory  
• Queensland  
• South Australia  
• Tasmania 
• Victoria
• Western Australia

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Follow the trial guidelines

Application processes may differ slightly between states and territories. However, the Guidelines set out where nationally consistent criteria will be expected across the country, including in relation to the following areas:  

• management of trials  
• insurance  
• safety management plans  
• data collection and information sharing.  

Trials will differ in technology, scale and risk. So, some criteria may not be relevant to some trials. Trialling organisations must:  

• set out how they have addressed relevant criteria  
• if necessary, explain which criteria are not relevant and why.  

Austroads have published the Guidelines for the Evaluation and Reporting of AV Trials. It sets out key information that you should refer to when evaluating and reporting on the outcomes of your AV trial. The information in the Evaluation Guidelines is a helpful resource to inform the content of your end-of-trial report.  
 
Austroads have also published a repository of trials conducted in Australia and New Zealand. To add your automated vehicle trial to the repository, please contact the Austroads team.  

 
The import process

For information about importing a vehicle for trailing in Australia, please refer to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts website.  
 

If you have questions about the trial guidelines, email us at automatedvehicles@ntc.gov.au.