Uber and Momenta to test autonomous vehicles in Germany in 2026

Summary

Ride-hailing giant Uber and Chinese autonomous vehicle startup Momenta plan to start testing robotaxis in Munich, Germany starting in 2026 – the first continental European city either company has announced publicly – with plans to expand to other markets. The partnership was first unveiled in May 2025, when Uber said Momenta-powered vehicles would launch on its platform in Europe in 2026, initially with human safety operators onboard to monitor the vehicles and take control if needed. Momenta, founded in 2016, is one of China’s earliest autonomous vehicle (AV) companies. The Beijing-based startup has been testing self-driving cars in China since 2018 and is considered a major player in the country’s competitive AV market. Uber’s move puts it in direct competition with other ride-hailing companies expanding into Europe’s AV market. For example, in August Lyft announced a deal with China’s Baidu to deploy robotaxis across Europe starting next year, beginning with Germany and the UK. Momenta is one of 20 global AV partners that Uber has brought on board across its ride-hailing, delivery, and freight businesses. Uber says those partnerships have already generated an annualized rate of 1.5 million mobility and delivery trips. In the U.S., Uber offers Waymo’s robotaxis on its app in Austin, Atlanta, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Internationally, Uber has partnered with Momenta and other Chinese AV startups, like WeRide and Pony.ai, to roll out robotaxis on the Uber platform in the Middle East. Uber and WeRide currently offer AV rides in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, with plans to expand to Dubai. Uber and UK-based Wayve also recently announced plans to launch public road trials of Level 4 AVs in London. Techcrunch event San Francisco | October 27-29, 2025 (Level 4 autonomy means the vehicle can operate without human intervention under certain conditions.) Uber said in a statement that it chose Munich as its European launchpad due to the city’s engineering heritage and ...