---
title: "5% of Americans say they’ve ridden in a driverless car"
description: "Regardless of whether they’ve ridden in one before, most Americans (71%) say they would be not too or not at all comfortable riding in a driverless car. "
date: "2026-07-01"
authors:
  - name: "William Bishop"
    job_title: "Research Associate"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/william-bishop/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/07/01/5-of-americans-say-theyve-ridden-in-a-driverless-car/"
categories:
  - "Transportation"
---

# 5% of Americans say they’ve ridden in a driverless car

![A Waymo autonomous vehicle is driven in Washington, D.C., on June 8, 2026. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/06/SR_26.07.01-driverless_featured.png?w=640)

Driverless cars are [showing up on some American roads](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/24/waymo-opens-robotaxi-service-to-select-riders-in-4-more-us-cities.html?&qsearchterm=waymo), but riding in one remains a rare experience. Just 5% of U.S. adults say they’ve taken a ride in a driverless car, while more than nine-in-ten say they have never done this, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in February 2026.

### 5% of Americans say they have taken a ride in a driverless car

*% of U.S. adults who say __ ever ride in a driverless car*

|  | They do | They don't |
| --- | --- | --- |
| U.S. adults | 5 | 93 |

Note: Those who said "Not sure" or did not answer are not shown.

Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Feb. 17-23, 2026.

**About this research**

This Pew Research Center analysis looks at Americans’ experiences with driverless cars and how comfortable they would be riding in one.

#### Why did we do this?

Pew Research Center does research to inform the public, journalists and decision-makers. This research builds on our past work studying [Americans’ views of driverless cars](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/03/17/americans-cautious-about-the-deployment-of-driverless-cars/) and [willingness to ride in these vehicles](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/10/24/older-americans-more-wary-than-younger-adults-about-prospect-of-driverless-cars-on-the-road/).

[Learn more about Pew Research Center](https://www.pewresearch.org/about/).

#### How did we do this?

We surveyed 5,119 U.S. adults from Feb. 17 to 23, 2026. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel. The survey represents the views of the full U.S. adult population.

Here are the [questions used for this analysis](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/06/SR_26.07.01-driverless_questionnaire.pdf), the [topline](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/06/SR_26.07.01-driverless_topline.pdf) and the [survey methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2026/06/17/americans-and-ai-methodology/).

Regardless of whether they’ve ridden in one before, we also asked Americans if they would be comfortable riding in a driverless car. Most Americans (71%) say they would be not too or not at all comfortable with this, including 43% who say they’d be *not at all* comfortable.

Relatively few (7%) would be extremely or very comfortable riding in a driverless car. Another 16% would be somewhat comfortable.

### Most U.S. adults say they would be uncomfortable riding in a driverless car

*% of U.S. adults who say they would be __ riding in a driverless car*

| Comfort level | U.S. adults |
| --- | --- |
| Extremely/Very comfortable | 7 |
| Somewhat comfortable | 16 |
| Not too/Not at all comfortable | 71 |

Note: Those who said "Not sure" or did not answer are not shown.

Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Feb. 17-23, 2026.

Driverless cars are among the growing list of technologies that use artificial intelligence (AI), relying on [cameras and sensors to move through traffic](https://www.forbes.com/sites/technology/article/self-driving-cars/) without a driver.

Americans’ discomfort and lack of experience with these cars span demographic groups. Across age ranges, household income levels and geographic regions, few U.S. adults have ridden in a driverless car or would feel comfortable doing so.

However, people who *have* ridden in a driverless car feel more comfortable doing so than people who have never ridden in one. Four-in-ten adults who have traveled in a driverless car say they would be extremely or very comfortable riding in one, compared with 5% of those who have not ridden in one.

Concerns about driverless cars are not new. Our [2021 survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/03/17/americans-cautious-about-the-deployment-of-driverless-cars/) found that Americans were more likely to think the [widespread use of driverless cars](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/03/17/americans-cautious-about-the-deployment-of-driverless-cars/ps_2022-03-17_ai-he_04-01-png/) would be bad rather than good for society.

*Note: Here are the [questions used for this analysis](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/06/SR_26.07.01-driverless_questionnaire.pdf), the [topline](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/06/SR_26.07.01-driverless_topline.pdf) and the [survey methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2026/06/17/americans-and-ai-methodology/).*