Ride-hailing giant Uber and Chinese autonomous vehicle startup Momenta plan to start testing robotaxis in Munich, Germany beginning in 2026. This marks the first continental European city either company has announced publicly, with plans to expand to other markets later.
The partnership was first unveiled in May 2025, when Uber stated that Momenta-powered vehicles would launch on its platform in Europe in 2026. The initial phase will include human safety operators onboard to monitor the vehicles and take control if needed.
Founded in 2016, Momenta is one of China’s earliest autonomous vehicle companies. The Beijing-based startup has been testing self-driving cars in China since 2018 and is considered a major player in the country’s competitive AV market.
Uber’s move places it in direct competition with other ride-hailing companies expanding into Europe’s autonomous vehicle market. For instance, in August, Lyft announced a deal with China’s Baidu to deploy robotaxis across Europe starting next year, beginning with Germany and the UK.
Momenta is one of 20 global autonomous vehicle partners that Uber has brought on board across its ride-hailing, delivery, and freight businesses. Uber reports that these partnerships have already generated an annualized rate of 1.5 million mobility and delivery trips.
In the United States, Uber offers Waymo’s robotaxis on its app in Austin, Atlanta, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Internationally, Uber has partnered with Momenta and other Chinese AV startups, such as WeRide and Pony.ai, to roll out robotaxis on the Uber platform in the Middle East. Uber and WeRide currently offer autonomous rides in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, with plans to expand to Dubai. Uber and UK-based Wayve also recently announced plans to launch public road trials of Level 4 autonomous vehicles in London.
Uber stated that it chose Munich as its European launchpad due to the city’s engineering heritage and strong automotive ecosystem. The CEO of Uber, Dara Khosrowshahi, said that Germany has shaped the global automotive industry for more than a century and that Munich will now help shape the future with autonomous vehicles.
It is not yet known whether Uber and Momenta have begun the certification process in Germany. Momenta will need to prove to German regulators that its vehicles meet certain safety standards and have its designed operating areas, called geo-fenced zones, approved by the authorities.
This launch could be Momenta’s first robotaxi deployment in Europe. The company has been operating a service in Shanghai and plans for a commercial rollout with onboard safety operators by the end of this year. As it develops its Level 4 capabilities, Momenta has also been working to deploy advanced driver assistance systems with partner automakers, including German brands like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi. According to the company, Momenta’s advanced driver assistance systems are already installed on 400,000 vehicles sold to customers today. Level 4 autonomy means the vehicle can operate without human intervention under certain conditions.