Road block: Almost half of Brits wouldn’t feel safe to hop in driverless taxis
Getting locked in, malfunctions and safety are the top passenger concerns as autonomous taxis start operating in London
Following the London launch of a fully autonomous SUV this January, Go.Compare Car Insurance has conducted new research revealing how the nation feels about riding in a driverless taxi – and not everyone is excited at the prospect.
In January, fully autonomous Jaguar I‑Pace SUVs started operating in London as part of a new government-backed pilot scheme to accelerate the launch of driverless tech in the country. And with Uber said to be joining the scheme this spring, 2026 is the year that driverless taxis could become a reality on our roads.
However, new research* released today from Go.Compare car insurance reveals that Brits have a number of concerns. 2000 adults took part in the survey, which asked for their thoughts on driverless taxis, and found that:
- 46% of those who took part said they would not feel safe using a driverless Uber
- A further 38% would be worried about the car malfunctioning or locking them in
- 32% said they wouldn't use a driverless Uber because they don’t want human drivers to be replaced
Meanwhile, 12% of people said they’re excited to use a driverless taxi, and just 6% of people have no safety concerns at all.
The research also revealed that there’s a big gender difference when it comes to opinions on driverless taxis, with over half (54%) of women saying they wouldn’t feel safe using an autonomous Uber compared to 39% of men, and 43% of women saying they’re worried about the car malfunctioning or being locked in, compared to 32% of men.
Tom Banks, spokesperson for GoCompare Car Insurance, said on the research: “The launch of driverless taxis on our roads is an exciting step, and could promise a new era of innovation, but our data shows that many of us are still hesitant about embracing the technology.
“Ultimately, what our data shows is that as well as needing driverless cars to be road-ready and extensively tested, there needs to be more education around people’s safety concerns to help build confidence in autonomous vehicles.
“With such a big change on the horizon, it’s natural that people will have questions and concerns. Ultimately, it’s not a change that will happen overnight – and we hope to hear much more in the coming months about how and when we’re likely to see driverless taxis taking off.”
For more information about Go.Compare, please visit: www.gocompare.com.
Contact Information
Rosie Johns
Notes to editors
*The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 2,000 Nationally Representative UK Respondents (aged 18+). The data was collected between 14.01.2026 - 16.01.2026. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council (BPC), and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge. We adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles
For further information please contact:
Lynsey Walden on lynsey.walden@gocompare.com, or Rubie Barker on rubie.barker@gocompare.com
About Go.Compare
Go.Compare is a comparison website that enables people to compare the costs and features of a wide variety of insurance policies, financial products and energy tariffs.
It does not charge people to use its services and does not accept advertising or sponsored listings, so all product comparisons are unbiased. Go.Compare makes its money through fees paid by the providers of products that appear on its various comparison services when a customer buys through the site.
When it launched in 2006, it was the first comparison site to focus on displaying policy details rather than just listing prices, with the aim of helping people to make better-informed decisions when buying their insurance. It is this approach to comparing products that secured the company an invitation to join the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) in 2008, and it is still the only comparison site to be a member of this organisation.
Go.Compare has remained dedicated to helping people choose the most appropriate products rather than just the cheapest and works with Defaqto, the independent financial researcher, to integrate additional policy information into a number of its insurance comparison services. This allows people to compare up to an extra 30 features of cover.
Go.Compare is part of Future Plc and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
More information can be found here www.gocompare.com or here https://www.futureplc.com/brands/.