Ping Cero reported that a Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) testing permit covers 16 Waymo SAE Level 4 vehicles in the Madrid region under identifier FVA-03/2026. The reported validity period runs from October 19, 2026, through October 18, 2028. Waymo says its work remains in testing and preparation, and that it is not yet offering commercial rides in Spain.
The permit total is not a simultaneous vehicle count
The reported total does not establish how many vehicles can operate at once. Ping Cero describes three DGT testing phases with different fleet and supervision rules: controlled testing allows up to three vehicles, with an onboard safety operator and company personnel as riders; extensive testing allows up to 10, also with an onboard operator, and permits other riders. In pre-deployment, the framework described by Ping Cero has no fleet cap, includes remote monitoring, and makes an onboard operator conditional on the system’s requirements.
Ping Cero’s account does not identify Waymo’s phase. The reported 16 vehicles are therefore the permit’s fleet total, not a confirmed count of vehicles operating simultaneously.
Waymo’s testing plan starts with a driver
Waymo names Madrid, Alcobendas and Getafe as the initial testing municipalities. The company says its vehicles will use public roads, by day and night, under DGT guidelines. Its planned sequence begins with manual driving, proceeds to validation driving with trained local specialists at the wheel, and later aims for fully autonomous operations. Waymo identifies electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles for the tests.
Madrid rides are not open yet
As of October 29, 2026, Waymo says it is not offering commercial rides in Spain. Reuters reported on October 20, 2026, that the company’s target is fully autonomous ride-hailing in Madrid in 2027. NeoTeo previously covered Waymo’s reported 2027 Madrid rider target.
