Almost half of Australians are opposed to self-driving cars in their local area – survey

Australians are still wary of self-driving cars, according to a new survey conducted by insurance company iSelect just as Tesla releases its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system here.

The insurance company surveyed 500 Australians aged over 18 years who drive regularly or travel in a car, with responses gathered between July 30 and August 5, 2025.

The results showed nearly half of respondents (44 per cent) were opposed to the idea of fully driverless cars (such as those operated by Waymo in the US) in their local areas.

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At the same time, 35 per cent had a net positive reaction, 28 per cent were spread across ‘positive’ and ‘somewhat positive’ responses, a notable 21 per cent remained neutral, and only 8.0 per cent said they felt ‘very positive’.

In terms of partial automation, 25 per cent of respondents said they are open to cars that can drive themselves (via functions like lane keeping and adaptive cruise control, which can provide Level 2 autonomous driving capability), as long as the driver stays alert, like Tesla FSD drivers are still required to do in Australia.

However, only 5.0 per cent said they are ready to embrace full autonomy in any situation, and more than a quarter (28 per cent) believe that self-driving cars could actually increase the number of road accidents, despite a widespread claims that more than 90 per cent of traffic collisions are caused by human error.

In contrast, only 23 per cent believe autonomous vehicles will reduce road accidents, 17 per cent said they believed there would be no impact, and 32 per cent admitted they simply weren’t sure.

Drilling down further, 37 per cent of those aged 35-44 said they believe that driverless vehicles will reduce accidents, the highest of any age group.

And Victorians were found to have the most positive outlook on driverless cars in their local area, with 42 per cent responding positively.

Support for driverless vehicles by region:

But while just 23 per cent of respondents said they reject the idea of receiving deliveries from autonomous vehicles, an overwhelming 76 per cent said they would happily do so, while 30 per cent said they’d welcome groceries, parcels or takeaway from a self-driving car, and 46 per cent said ‘maybe’ – but they’d want human support available.

However, when it comes to travelling in automated vehicles themselves, trust fell with each step towards autonomy.

More than half (51 per cent) said they are at ease with basic driver assistance features like lane assist and intelligent cruise control, but this fell to 25 per cent when asked about partial automation (in which a vehicle drives itself, but a human remains behind the wheel in case of emergency), and to just 13 per cent for fully autonomous highway driving.

Only 5.0 per cent of people said they would feel comfortable in a fully autonomous car operating in any condition, and nearly one in five (19 per cent) said they wouldn’t trust any level of self-driving technology.

In fact, despite advances in artificial intelligence (AI), most of those surveyed trusted human judgement more when it comes to making split-second decisions on the road.

When asked who they would trust more in a high-risk driving situation, 54 per cent chose a sober, experienced human driver over a machine. Just 11 per cent trusted an AI-powered vehicle more, while 15 per cent trusted both equally, and the rest (20 per cent) trusted neither.

In terms of autonomous vehicle adoption, most Australians surveyed remain cautious. Just 18 per cent said they would buy or ride in a self-driving car, while 41 per cent were firmly opposed, citing lack of trust. Another 41 per cent said ‘maybe’, suggesting they’re open to the idea but have significant concerns.