Mercedes-Benz Approved for 95 km/h Level 3 Autonomous Driving in Germany

Mercedes-Benz has updated its conditionally automated driving system DRIVE PILOT and has now received the approval by the German Federal Motor Transport Authority. The upcoming sales release is in early 2025 in Germany.

This update makes DRIVE PILOT the fastest certified system for conditionally automated driving (SAE‑Level 3) in a standard production vehicle.

With this latest upgrade, DRIVE PILOT can be used in flowing traffic up to 95 km/h under certain conditions on the entire 13,191 km-long German Autobahn network.

This allows customers to drive more frequently and for longer periods of time in automated driving mode, while using their free time better. When DRIVE PILOT is activated, it is legally allowed for the driver to enjoy other activities, such as watching TV or even streaming a movie via services like Sony’s RIDEVU app.

It’s optionally available on two luxury saloon car ranges – S-Class and EQS.

Cars with DRIVE PILOT, that have been already built, get the update for free – either via the internet (Over-the-Air-Update) or during a visit at the workshop. 

Markus Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes‑Benz Group AG, Chief Technology Officer, Development & Purchasing, says: “With innovative technologies from Mercedes‑Benz, we always want to offer our customers added value. When DRIVE PILOT is activated, it is possible to concentrate on other things while the car takes over the driving task. With the further developed version, which has now been certified by Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority, this is also possible at 95 km/h in Germany under certain conditions. It makes me very proud that the world's fastest system for conditionally automated driving is coming from Mercedes‑Benz. I am confident that with our safety-focused approach we are right on track to celebrate more automated driving milestones soon.”

Mercedes‑Benz is the world’s first automobile manufacturer to develop special turquoise lights that indicate from the outside whether DRIVE PILOT is active.