Waymo vs Tesla Robotaxi

Where each one gives rides

Both run in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando and Tampa, and both offer driverless rides open to the public in all six. Tampa was the last of them for Waymo, which opened it to everyone on Oct 14, 2026 after inviting riders in batches from Sep 1.

Only Waymo offers public driverless rides in Phoenix, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Nashville, San Diego and San Antonio, along with waitlist service in Denver and Las Vegas. The San Francisco Bay Area splits the two. Waymo runs driverless there, but Tesla's rides have a human driver, and Electrek reported in March 2026 that California's utilities regulator confirmed Tesla holds a charter-party permit rather than an autonomous vehicle permit.

Tesla has announced Las Vegas and Phoenix. Nevada gave Tesla a permit in July 2026 for 10 robotaxis on the Strip corridor, yet no public rides had been confirmed as of Oct 13, 2026.

Who is in the front seat

Waymo's public cars in its driverless cities have nobody in the driver's seat. Tesla varies: some Austin Model Y robotaxis have run without a safety monitor since Jan 22, 2026, others still carry one, and on freeway routes a Tesla safety driver sits behind the wheel. Launch videos from Dallas and Houston on Apr 18, 2026 showed empty front seats, though it's unclear whether the whole fleet is unsupervised, and multiple outlets describe Orlando and Tampa rides as unsupervised. In Miami a rider video showed no driver or monitor, which Tesla hasn't said applies to every car.

Which app to use

Every Tesla city uses the Tesla Robotaxi app. With Waymo it depends on where you are. The Waymo app covers most cities, but Austin and Atlanta riders book only through Uber, and Nashville riders can use the Waymo app or get matched in Lyft. The how to ride guide has the steps for each.

Age rules

Both companies set 18 as the age to book and to ride alone. Under Tesla's rider rules, riders aged 8 to 17 can travel in a Model Y with an adult and riders aged 13 to 17 in a Cybercab with an adult, while children under 8 can't ride. Waymo's teen accounts let 13 to 17 year olds ride alone on a parent-linked account. That option exists only in Metro Phoenix and Nashville, as the teen accounts page explains.

Prices

Austin has the clearest record of Tesla fares. Rides launched there on Jun 22, 2025 at a flat $4.20. Two outlets reported that on Mar 7, 2026 the base fare rose from $1 to $3.25, plus $1 per mile. Shortly afterward The Driven reported a $3.00 base plus $1.40 per mile, a single-source figure Tesla hasn't confirmed.

Waymo posts a rate only in Las Vegas: $9.49 base, $1.23 per mile and $0.45 per minute, plus fees. Other cities get an in-app estimate. Obi's San Francisco data sets Waymo against Tesla's human-driven service there, and no published study compares the two in a city where both run driverless. More on the Waymo price page.

Service area sizes

Reported figures vary, and the sources disagree in places. Austin is the one shared city where Tesla covers more ground, at a reported 246 to 288 sq mi against roughly 90 to 140 sq mi for Waymo. Elsewhere Waymo's area is bigger: about 50 sq mi to Tesla's 31 in Dallas (as reported by Not a Tesla App), nearly 50 to about 25 in Houston, about 60 to about 26.2 in Orlando and roughly 50 to about 23.6 in Tampa. Waymo launched in Miami with 60 sq mi and later added Miami Beach, which Tesla's zone of about 30.8 sq mi leaves out.

Freeways

Waymo paused every freeway ride on May 21, 2026, then started bringing them back in Phoenix on Jul 29, 2026. In Austin, select Uber trips can use MoPac, I-35, US 183 and US 290, according to a Sep 24, 2026 report. Riders in Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, San Diego and San Antonio don't get freeway routes from Waymo. Tesla's Austin area has taken in freeways since about September 2025, with a safety driver in the driver's seat on those routes.