The viability of autonomous cars is becoming a reality. Increasingly, many countries are establishing regulations for this emerging sector. 

According to a study by KPMG entitled KPMG Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index (AVRI), the countries that are most prepared for autonomous vehicles are:

1. Singapore

2. The Netherlands

3. Norway

4. United States

5. Finland

6. Sweden

7. South Korea

8. United Arab Emirates

9. Great Britain

10. Denmark

This is the third edition of this study that assesses the progress of 30 countries in their jurisdictions on autonomous vehicles.

"We've just begun to see the transformational potential of AV technology," says Richard Threlfall, Global Head of Infrastructure, KPMG International. "Immense progress has been made on AVs operating more safely and effectively. Looking forward, driverless vehicles could have an expanded role in addressing new requirements for moving people and goods, arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, crowded public transit could be partially relieved by on-demand, autonomous minibuses to promote social distancing, while AVs for shipping can meet the demand for contactless delivery.

Both Singapore and the Netherlands have been listed in the last two years as the two countries with the most developed autonomous vehicle jurisdictions. In Singapore, plans are underway to significantly increase charging stations for electric vehicles from 1,600 to 28,000 by 2030. On the other hand, the Netherlands has the highest number of EV charging stations per capita.

The United States and South Korea are countries that have been climbing up the AVRI ranking in recent years. Specifically, South Korea is the country that is growing the most in this area and implemented a national strategy for autonomous vehicles in October 2019 with the aim of reducing deaths in road accidents.

On the other hand, the 2020 edition of AVRI, has observed the best initiatives on autonomous vehicles promoted in the following cities: Beijing, Detroit, Helsinki, Pittsburgh and Seoul.