Tesla has 42 autonomous vehicles authorized for ridehailing in Texas, compared to 577 for Waymo, according to new state DMV records published this week.
NEWS: New Texas DMV filings show Tesla now has 42 authorized Robotaxis operating in the state.
While Waymo currently has a larger fleet with 577 vehicles, Tesla's Robotaxi network is still in the early stages of its rollout and has been steadily expanding across Austin,… pic.twitter.com/q0Elqv9tuD
— Herbert Ong (@herbertong) May 29, 2026
A new Texas law that took effect Thursday now requires companies testing or deploying autonomous vehicles in the state to submit fleet counts and safety disclosures to the Department of Motor Vehicles. The law created the first official public database of its kind in Texas.
Waymo, the self-driving unit of Alphabet, leads the state registry by a wide margin. Its 577 registered vehicles are more than 13 times the size of Tesla’s fleet.
Tesla also sits behind several smaller operators. Avride, owned by Nebius, logged 317 vehicles. Nuro registered 47. Amazon’s Zoox filed for 35.
Before this law, Texas required little from autonomous vehicle operators beyond basic insurance, onboard cameras, and the ability to follow traffic laws. The new rules are stricter.
Companies must now self-certify that their vehicles meet SAE Level 4 — the standard for systems that can handle typical driving conditions entirely without human input.
Waymo’s vehicles have met that standard for some time. Tesla’s certification raises questions. In past regulatory filings, Tesla described most of its cars as Level 2 driver-assistance systems. The company has not explained how it is now certifying Texas vehicles as Level 4. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
Tesla launched its robotaxi service in Austin in June 2025, initially with safety monitors on board. It removed those monitors in January 2026. The service has since expanded to Dallas and Houston.
Third-party tracking data puts around 30 of those vehicles operating fully driverless in Austin. The remaining 12 are split between Dallas and Houston.
Before the Austin launch, Tesla CEO Elon Musk told CNBC the fleet would reach 1,000 cars within months. He later told investors that Austin alone would have 500 robotaxis before the end of 2025. Neither target was met.
Federal safety filings covering July 2025 through April 2026 recorded 17 incidents involving Tesla’s Austin robotaxis. Two resulted in minor injuries. A third required a hospital visit. All three occurred while a human supervisor was present.
Waymo began Texas operations in March 2025 through a partnership with Uber. It now runs paid robotaxi services in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.
Nationally, Waymo’s paid robotaxi network includes close to 4,000 vehicles — giving it a much larger footprint than Tesla both in Texas and across the country.
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