Autonomous vehicle (AV) technology is entering a period of development maturity, during which the complex challenges of implementation are being addressed on a global level.

The third edition of the report has been updated to cover 30 markets and finds significant progress has been made on the extensive work needed to allow AVs to operate safely and effectively in our societies

That’s the verdict of the 2020 Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index (AVRI) from KPMG, which says the transformational potential of AV technology remains immense – and reveals that Singapore is leading the way on its AV work.

It’s the third year running that the guide has been produced and insights from specialists within KPMG’s network of national firms reveal that significant progress has been made on the extensive work needed to allow AVs to operate safely and effectively in our societies, including overhauling regulations and running large-scale tests.

The research also say we are seeing AVs move into use around the world in public transport and in closed-site environments such as mining and logistics. And national and local governments are finding distinctive ways to introduce them.

This edition of the AVRI adds five new countries and jurisdictions – Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Italy and Taiwan – bringing the total number of markets covered to 30.

It covers the same four pillars as the first two reports — policy and legislation, technology and innovation, infrastructure and consumer acceptance – but with some updates.

In the third edition of the AVRI, Singapore swaps places with the Netherlands to claim the top position – recognised for its work since the start of 2019 to encourage the testing, development and adoption of AVs, such as opening a tenth of its roads for testing. Like several other highly-ranked countries, Singapore has embedded AVs into wider goals, including greater use of public transport, wider use of EVs and economic development from research-focused jobs.

The research also reveals that out of the 25 in the 2019 index, 17 have increased their score and that many countries and jurisdictions are also learning from each other and engaging with the automotive companies and technology businesses that are developing the technology.

To access KPMG’s 2020 Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index, click here.