New Regulation on Autonomous Vehicles

Decree 196/2025, published in the Official Gazette on March 18^th, 2025,  amended the Regulation of the Road Traffic and Safety Law 24449 to adapt the existing legal framework to technological advances, including the recognition and regulation of autonomous vehicles. This amendment is an important step toward modernizing Argentina’s legal framework on road traffic.

In its preamble, the Decree highlights that advances in autonomous vehicle technology provide an opportunity to improve the quality of life of Argentinians, allowing driving hours to be transformed into time for rest, entertainment, or work, in addition to the potentially reducing road accidents.

The Decree incorporates a technical and operational definition of an autonomous vehicle, understood as “a vehicle equipped with complex systems such as laser sensors, radar, global positioning system, computer vision, actuators, and communication and data processing systems that enable the unit to complement, enhance, and assist human driving, control, and navigation capabilities (…).”

The Decree also introduces automation levels:

• Level 0 (no automation): drivers are responsible for all driving tasks without any automated assistance.
• Level 1 (driver assistance): Vehicles can assist drivers with specific functions, such as steering or braking, but not simultaneously. Drivers remain responsible for monitoring the environment and performing all other driving tasks.
• Level 2 (partial automation): vehicles can perform two or more driving functions—such as acceleration, steering, and braking, under specific conditions—simultaneously.
• Level 3 (conditional automation): vehicles can perform most driving tasks in certain predefined conditions, while drivers may engage in other activities during automated mode.
• Level 4 (high automation): Vehicles can operate fully autonomously in most situations and environments, without human intervention. Their autonomy may be limited to specific geographic areas or weather conditions.
• Level 5 (full automation): vehicles are fully autonomous and can operate safely in any situation and environment without human intervention, with no geographic or weather restrictions.

Self-driving vehicles must be equipped with a system (hardware, sensors, actuators, satellite positioning system, and software) authorized by the Argentine Agency of Road Safety. Authorization will be granted if the vehicle demonstrates a lower accident rate than the average for human-driven vehicles. Other circumstances, such as geographic and speed restrictions, will be determined by the competent authority.