In the second half of 2027, regulations will come into effect in Israel to allow driving in vehicles with advanced autonomous assistance systems, sources in the Ministry of Transport believe. Local regulations on the subject have been in the process of being formulated in government ministries for over five years, but their implementation has been delayed, due to the lack of organized international standards and legal problems.
However, at the end of June, the UN's central standardization body (UNECE) approved an international regulation that regulates the standardization of autonomous vehicles allowed to travel on public roads. According to the sources, it constitutes a "breakthrough that will accelerate the process."
This is the first comprehensive international regulation of its kind that regulates fully autonomous systems for autonomy level 4 and above - vehicles that can drive in a controlled environment with minimal driver intervention.
At least like a human driver
The new framework defines, among other things, safety requirements and uniform model approval processes, which include safety management, and providing manufacturer responsibility that the autonomous driving system functions at a level of safety that is at least equal to that of a skilled human driver. It also includes the obligation to install a data recording system, along with continuous monitoring of malfunctions and reporting of safety incidents and regulating the licensing of vehicles that do not have conventional steering wheels and pedals. These allow, in theory, a full driverless vehicle.
The new standard, which is expected to be adopted in Israel automatically as part of the European standard, will eliminate the existing regulatory awkwardness and provide the Ministry of Transport with a ready-made basis in theory for import permits for vehicles with autonomy level 4 and above. However, it is still unclear how insurance companies will respond to the issue.
The automotive industry estimates that in the first phase, adoption will focus on commercial fleets that travel on limited and demarcated routes, such as "robot taxis" (robotaxis), autonomous unloading cranes at ports and designated buses. The Cross Israel company is currently promoting a tender for the trial operation of autonomous "shuttles" in communities in the Golan Heights, which will initially be transported with a control driver in the vehicle, and then without a driver at all.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on August 2, 2026.
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