ETSC supports UK proposals to restrict misleading marketing of assisted driving systems

ETSC has welcomed proposals by the UK government to protect specific terms used in the marketing of self-driving technologies, in a move designed to prevent confusion between assisted and automated driving systems.

The UK Department for Transport is consulting on secondary legislation following the adoption of the Automated Vehicles Act 2024. The Act introduces two new criminal offences aimed at preventing the misuse of terms such as “self-driving” or “driverless” in the marketing of vehicles that are not authorised or listed as automated.

ETSC supports the proposal to protect key terms including self-driving, automated driving, autonomous driving, and their grammatical variants. In its response, ETSC highlights the concerns over “mode confusion,” where drivers wrongly believe an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) can fully control the vehicle, leading to unsafe use.

“Clear and consistent terminology is essential to help avoid deadly confusion between vehicles that require driver supervision and those that do not,” said Frank Mütze, ETSC’s automated driving specialist. “Terms like ‘autopilot’ have already misled drivers into overestimating their vehicle’s capabilities.”

ETSC strongly supports the protection of derived grammatical forms of key terms to prevent loopholes. Without this, manufacturers could circumvent restrictions by using similar-sounding alternatives. 

Highlighting concerns over naming, ETSC cites Stellantis’ “AutoDrive” system, which combines Level 2 and Level 3 functions but markets them under a single name, potentially misleading consumers about the system’s true level of automation.

The consultation closes on 1 September 2025.