Australian trust in autonomous vehicles falls to 17.5pc, Savvy survey report says

Australian trust in autonomous vehicles has fallen to 17.5 per cent in 2026, according to a Savvy survey account reported by technology publication techAU.

Aussie Autonomous Vehicle Trust Falls to 17.5% in 2026 Savvy Survey said Australian sentiment had dropped while the market waited for autonomous vehicle legislation and entrants. The supplied extract from the underlying Savvy material identifies it as an “EV Sentiments Survey Report: 2026”, but does not include the survey methodology, sample size or detailed results.

Savvy also published material under the headline “Autonomous driving worries grow as ex-Tesla workers warn drivers”, according to supplied evidence. The available extract does not set out the warnings, identify the former workers or provide further substantiation, so those claims could not be independently assessed from the supplied material.

The reported fall in trust comes as Australian transport agencies continue to prepare national settings for automated vehicles. The National Transport Commission, a primary government source, says its automated vehicle program aims to achieve “end-to-end regulation to support the safe commercial deployment and operation of automated vehicles at all levels of automation in Australia”.

The NTC also lists automated vehicle trial guidelines among its codes and guidelines. It says those guidelines support nationally consistent trial conditions at all levels of automation. The supplied material does not state whether new legislation has been introduced, passed or scheduled.

The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts also lists a “National Road Transport Technology Strategy and 2024-27 Action Plan” on its website. The supplied extract identifies the strategy and action plan but does not provide details of specific measures, funding or timelines.

Autonomous vehicles are part of a broader shift in road transport technology, including electric vehicles, connected systems and automation. However, the evidence supplied for the Savvy survey indicates public trust remains a central issue for deployment, alongside regulatory readiness.

On the evidence available, the verified development is a reported decline in Australian trust in autonomous vehicles in Savvy’s 2026 survey coverage, set against ongoing national work on automated vehicle regulation and trial guidance.