Tesla Edges Past Waymo in Texas Self-Driving Vehicle Registrations

Tesla has edged ahead of Waymo on Texas’s automated-vehicle registry, with 1,302 vehicles listed under Tesla Robotaxi’s authorization compared with 1,297 for Waymo. That gives Tesla a five-vehicle lead in a closely watched measure of the two companies’ presence on the state’s books.

The figures were checked directly in the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles’ public lookup on the evening of November 10. Both companies were listed as authorized operators, with individual vehicle identification numbers making up each roster.

It is a change from the earlier snapshot covered on November 1, when Tesla stood at 1,204 vehicles and Waymo had 1,259. Against those counts, Tesla’s listing has grown by 98 vehicles, while Waymo’s has increased by 38, turning a 55-vehicle gap into a narrow lead.

There is an important limit to that comparison: the registry does not show how many vehicles are taking passengers at any given moment. It also does not break the roster down by service area, daily trips or vehicle utilization. A lead here cannot establish which company has the larger active ride-hailing fleet.

Texas requires companies to hold an authorization before commercially operating automated vehicles without a human driver. Under the state’s program, authorization holders maintain the list of vehicles connected to their authorization by adding and deleting individual vehicles.

That makes the roster useful for tracking changes in listed vehicles, but it remains separate from the customer experience. Shorter pickup times and more available rides depend on where and how those vehicles are used, details these records do not provide.

The current totals appear in the official Tesla Robotaxi and Waymo vehicle listings. The department also explains how those lists work on its Automated Vehicles Regulatory Program page. The live records establish the current comparison, rather than the precise moment Tesla moved ahead.

Does Tesla’s registry lead change your view of the robotaxi race, or are shorter waits and more available rides what matter most?