Madrid company insures first 20 self-driving cars in Spain

The vehicles began trial runs in the capital in October, under the supervision of a safety operator on board.

"Taking part in the project will enable Mutua Madrileña to gain first-hand insight into how this type of fleet operates and how risk evolves under real-world conditions. The data will be used to investigate which insurance models are best suited to self-driving vehicles," the company explained.

Mutua Madrileña has emphasised that self-driving will force the 'Autos' insurance sector to evolve as the level of automation increases. It states that, as long as the driver remains liable, traditional cover will co-exist with new risks linked to software, connectivity, driving systems and other technological components.

"The main value of this pilot scheme is that it will enable us to gain real-world experience to better understand how risk evolves and which insurance models will be best suited to self-driving," Mutua Madrileña deputy director-general of insurance Jesús del Río said.

At the same time, the insurer is already anticipating a shift in liability. Consequently, in the case of robotaxis and self-driving fleets, the owner or operator of the fleet will be the insured party, while the manufacturer, the supplier of the driving system or the platform may assume liability depending on the cause of the accident.

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