Tesla Receives California Test License for Autonomous Cars

A few weeks ago, Tesla began testing a “robotaxi” in Austin—with mixed results. First of all, there were only a handful of vehicles, and a safety engineer sat in the passenger seat to intervene in case of an emergency. And there was some excitement because videos showed that the robotaxis still had a few problems.

Announcements about tests in California were also closely watched, because Tesla had not yet received a test license from the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). But today, September 2, 2025, the DMV website was updated with a new entry: Tesla Robotaxi LLC. And that’s in the category “Tests with a safety driver” (in the driver’s seat).

This brings the number of license holders back up to where it was in 2019, when more than 70 companies already held such a test license. Tesla brings the number back up to 29 test license holders.

This article was also published in German.