About Autonomous Vehicles sector in Europe
The Autonomous Vehicles sector in Europe comprises 385 companies, including 169 funded companies having collectively raised $6.37B in venture capital money and private equity. Out of these, 91 are Series A+ funded, and 3 have achieved unicorn status.
Autonomous Vehicles sector in Europe has seen 50 acquisitions and 10 IPOs. This represents almost 15.6% of all such companies - which is higher than the 5.0% exit rate of tech companies in general.
This sector includes companies developing autonomous vehicles and/or providing technologies/solutions to enable autonomous driving.
Autonomous Vehicles sector is also known as Autonomous Car, Self Driving Vehicle or Driverless Vehicles.
Companies working on self-driving tech and providing enabling technologies such as perception, mapping & localization, network and V2X solutions. Companies offering testing solutions, teleoperation services, cybersecurity, and fleet management solutions for autonomous vehicles would also be included. Also, includes off highway vehicles which are used for construction, farming, mining, forklifts, ATVs/UTVs, etc. Companies developing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) & drones, non-autonomous electric vehicles, and traditional vehicle manufacturers. Companies offering solutions for traditional vehicles such as ADAS, traditional auto component manufacturers would also be excluded.
Top Autonomous Vehicles Companies in Europe
There are 385 Autonomous Vehicles startups in Europe which include Vay, TomTom, HERE, Oxa, Wayve. Out of these, 169 startups are funded, with 91 having secured Series A+ funding, and 3 achieving unicorn status.
Over the past 10 years, an average of 18 new companies have been launched annually. Notably, several of these startups have been founded by alumni of University of Cambridge, University of Oxford and BITS Pilani.
Here is the list of top Autonomous Vehicles startups in Europe
1. Vay
Platform focused on remote-driven mobility and transportation technology. It develops systems that allow vehicles to be operated remotely, enabling new models of transport and fleet operations. The platform supports safer, more flexible mobility by combining connectivity, sensing, and real-time control.
Key facts about Vay
- Founded Year: 2018
- Location: Berlin (Germany)
- Stage: Series B
- Total Funding till date: $185M
- Investors: Project A, TSCIC Syndicate and 20 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series B, Nov 10, 2025, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 73/100 What is this?
2. TomTom
Developer of SaaS-based solutions for navigation and location mapping. It provides users with multiple products like navigation software, road analytics, traffic, and connected services like real-time traffic analysis, and speed camera services. It develops an autonomous car by involving HD maps and its car-to-cloud-to-car map update services. It offers navigation devices and in-dash navigation devices for users.
Key facts about TomTom
- Founded Year: 1991
- Location: Amsterdam (Netherlands)
- Stage: Public
- Investors: Cyrte Investments, Aimforthemoon and 2 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Grant (prize money), Nov 01, 2020, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 71/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 3 of 1,243 Competitors
3. HERE
Developer of a unified map delivering location data and related services. The company provides automotive-grade location data to businesses across various industries. It offers solutions for automated driving, electric vehicle routing, and digital cockpit experiences. The company also provides developer resources, including documentation, blogs, and software development kits.
Key facts about HERE
- Founded Year: 1985
- Location: Eindhoven (Netherlands)
- Stage: Acquired
- Investors: NTT Group, Mitsubishi Corporation and 8 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Grant (prize money), Feb 01, 2021, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 69/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 8 of 2,373 Competitors
4. Oxa
Online platform offering autonomy software for self-driving vehicles. It provides solutions like in-vehicle control, virtual simulation, and fleet management tools. The platform supports GPS-free navigation and works across various vehicle types.
Key facts about Oxa
- Founded Year: 2014
- Location: Oxford (United Kingdom)
- Stage: Series C
- Total Funding till date: $246M
- Investors: ENEOS Innovation Partners, BP Ventures and 22 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Oct 08, 2023, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 69/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 8 of 247 Competitors
5. Wayve
Platform offering AI-enabled software for autonomous driving. The company develops systems that integrate artificial intelligence with cloud-based tools to support vehicle automation. Its technology is designed to adapt to various driving environments and improve with data over time. The software suite leverages end-to-end machine learning algorithms, computer vision, & a reinforced learning approach to offer an adaptive and situation-based driving system.
Key facts about Wayve
- Founded Year: 2017
- Location: London (United Kingdom)
- Stage: Series C
- Total Funding till date: $1.32B
- Investors: SoftBank Group, Virgin and 41 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Aug 29, 2024, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 66/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 8 of 202 Competitors
Companies founded year-on-year in the Autonomous Vehicles sector in Europe
46 Autonomous Vehicles startups in Europe were founded in 2018 - this is the most number of startups founded in any year in the last 10 years.
- Total Number of Companies
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | - |
2025 | - |
2024 | 5 |
2023 | 1 |
2022 | 16 |
2021 | 22 |
2020 | 21 |
2019 | 38 |
2018 | 46 |
2017 | 36 |
Stage-wise distribution of Autonomous Vehicles sector companies in Europe
Out of the total 385 Autonomous Vehicles companies in Europe, 169 have secured funding. Among them, 91 have reached Series A or higher, and 71 to Series B or beyond.
Founded - 385
Funded - 169
Series A+ - 91
Series B+ - 71
Series C+ - 64
Company Stage | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Founded | 385 |
Funded | 169 |
Series A+ | 91 |
Series B+ | 71 |
Series C+ | 64 |
Let us walk you through our Sectors and other offerings
Designed with precision for VCs, PE, IBs, Incubators, M&A, Innovation more
Designed with precision for VCs, PE, IBs, Incubators, M&A, Innovation more
Funding Trends in the Autonomous Vehicles sector in Europe
Total funding year-on-year in the Autonomous Vehicles sector in Europe
The Autonomous Vehicles sector in Europe saw a total funding of more than $6.14B in the last 10 years. The most amount of funding was in 2022 at more than $1.42B.
- Total Funding
Year | Total Funding |
|---|---|
2025 | $227M |
2024 | $1.16B |
2023 | $776M |
2022 | $1.42B |
2021 | $396M |
2020 | $217M |
2019 | $1.1B |
2018 | $663M |
2017 | $90.8M |
Recent Funding Rounds in Autonomous Vehicles in Europe
In the year 2025, till November 2025, Autonomous Vehicles companies in Europe have raised $208M in equity funding across 5 rounds.
In the same period last year (i.e. till October 2024), Autonomous Vehicles companies in Europe had raised $1.1B across 11 rounds.
So, 2025 has seen a 81.07% drop in funding in Autonomous Vehicles companies in Europe as compared to 2024.
Here are some recent, important funding rounds in Autonomous Vehicles companies in Europe:
Company | Round Raised | Amount Raised | Funding Date | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Series B | 3401 | Nov 10, 2025 | ||
Series D | 4311 | Oct 02, 2025 | ||
Series A | 1374 | Sep 04, 2025 | ||
Seed | 8872 | Jul 14, 2025 | ||
Series A | 6740 | May 20, 2025 | and 14 more |
Top Investors in Autonomous Vehicles in Europe
Europa is the top investor in Autonomous Vehicles companies in Europe based on number of companies invested.
Here are some top investors in Autonomous Vehicles companies in Europe:
Investor | Location | Top Portfolio Companies |
|---|---|---|
Sunnyvale (United States) | ||
Mountain View (United States) | ||
Brussels (Belgium) | ||
New York (United States) | - |
_1583294062927.png?devicePixelRatio=2&height=20&width=20){kind=logo}
M&A activity in Autonomous Vehicles sector in Europe
In the year 2025, till December 2025, 7 acquisitions happened in Autonomous Vehicles sector in Europe. Last year, in 2024, a total of 4 acquisitions happened in Autonomous Vehicles sector in Europe.
Here are some recent, important acquisitions in Autonomous Vehicles sector in Europe:
Company | Acquisition Type | Acquisition Date | Acquirers |
|---|---|---|---|
Business Acquisition | Dec 17, 2025 | ||
Business Acquisition | Dec 09, 2025 | ||
Business Acquisition | Oct 21, 2025 | ||
Business Acquisition | Oct 02, 2025 | ||
Business Acquisition | Aug 12, 2025 |
Acquisition trends in Autonomous Vehicles sector in Europe
Here are the acquisition trends in Autonomous Vehicles sector in Europe:
- Total Number of Acquisitions
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | - |
2025 | 7 |
2024 | 4 |
2023 | 7 |
2022 | 5 |
2021 | 7 |
2020 | 1 |
2019 | 5 |
2018 | 4 |
2017 | 3 |
IPOs in Autonomous Vehicles in Europe
In the year 2022, till October 2022, 2 IPOs happened in Autonomous Vehicles sector in Europe.
Here are some recent, important IPOs in Autonomous Vehicles sector in Europe:
Company | IPO Date | Exchange Symbol |
|---|---|---|
Oct 31, 2022 | Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FRA) | |
Sep 15, 2022 | London Stock Exchange (LSE) | |
Jul 24, 2018 | Euronext Exchange (Euronext) | |
Jun 15, 2018 | New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) | |
Jan 15, 2018 | London Stock Exchange (LSE) |
Colleges which produce the most Autonomous Vehicles companies in Europe
Companies founded by alumni from top colleges in the Autonomous Vehicles in Europe
Most number of Autonomous Vehicles startups in Europe have been founded by alumni from University of Cambridge, University of Oxford and BITS Pilani.
College | No. of companies |
|---|---|
University of Cambridge | 4 |
University of Oxford | 3 |
BITS Pilani | 2 |
Imperial College London | 2 |
Stanford University | 2 |
University of California (Berkeley) | 2 |
Bocconi University | 1 |
Columbia Business School | 1 |
Columbia University | 1 |
Esade Business School | 1 |
Total funding in Autonomous Vehicles companies founded by alumni from top colleges in Europe
In the last 10 years, University of Oxford graduates' Autonomous Vehicles companies in Europe have raised the most funding among top colleges. University of Cambridge alumni are second, and Imperial College London alumni are third.
College | Total Funding |
|---|---|
University of Oxford | $1.57B |
University of Cambridge | $1.42B |
Imperial College London | $222M |
Stanford University | $222M |
Technical University of Munich | $79.4M |
University of Warwick | $78.7M |
King’s College London | $72.6M |
Columbia Business School | $48.9M |
Columbia University | $48.9M |
Tel Aviv University | $24M |
Top News in Autonomous Vehicles in Europe
•
•
aiMotive Showcases Scalable Automated Driving and Next-Generation Simulation at CES 2026PR Newswire•Jan 07, 2026•AImotive
•
HERE Technologies and Hyundai AutoEver Expand Online Navigation PartnershipKorea Newswire•Jan 06, 2026•HERE, HAEA, HYUNDAI AutoEver
•
HERE Technologies retains #1 ranking in Omdia’s 2025 Location Platform IndexGlobeNewswire•Jan 02, 2026•HERE
•
AiMotive and LG to Unveil Integrated IVI/ADAS Controller at CES 2026WebDisclosure•Dec 18, 2025•AImotive, LG
•
•
TTTech Auto Unveils MotionWise Communication Middleware for Streamlined Vehicle CommunicationNew Electronics•Dec 12, 2025•TTTech Auto
•
HERE Technologies and Precisely expand partnership for trusted location dataGlobeNewswire•Dec 09, 2025•Precisely, HERE
•
HERE Technologies and Radaro Partner for Next-Gen Route OptimisationGlobeNewswire•Sep 16, 2025•HERE, Radaro
•
HERE Technologies Supports India’s Efforts to Simplify Addressing with DIGIPIN IntegrationBusiness News This Week•Aug 05, 2025•HERE
