ADAC finds that BMW's Motorway Assistant is reliable on the Autobahn

On a busy Bavarian Autobahn route, ADAC found that BMW's hands-free Motorway Assistant on the 5 Series worked reliably over long stretches, even in bad weather.

  • 1 a person

    The testers could drive hands-free over long stretches while a camera kept their attention on the road, a convenience with no measured safety outcome.

Depth runs from 1, a convenience or time saved, to 5, a life or a livelihood preserved.

Status
Reported benefit.
Evidence

foundstudiedreportedclaimed

An independent assessment report supports the benefit.

The system’s part
Not isolated. ADAC drove with the system on and judged its behavior on the road. There was no comparison with driving without it. ADAC does not describe the software or show that the system learns from data.
Limits
Not yet checked.
Costs and harms
Not yet checked.
Later
Not yet checked.

Download data Cite Suggest a correction

Benefit type
Increased Product Safety
System
BMW Motorway Assistant (Autobahnassistent, Level 2+), BMW 5 Series
Made by
BMW
Used by
BMW (optional extra on the 5 Series and other BMW models)
Where
Landsberg am Lech to Memmingen, Bavaria, Germany
Stage
In routine use
Date
, when the source was published
Kind
Aggregate result
Broad benefit
Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
Collections
Scrutiny and findings
Last revised
31 October 2026

Sources

  1. Assessment report, by authors with no tie to the system.

    ADAC (Andreas Huber, with technical advice from the ADAC Technik Zentrum). Selbstfahrende Autos: Wie weit sind BMW und Mercedes? Der Vergleich. 3 November 2025. ADAC tested both cars itself on a public Autobahn. Section Praxistest: Level 2+ gegen Level 3.

    Eine Kamera überwacht dabei ständig, ob die Aufmerksamkeit der Person am Steuer auch auf die Straße gerichtet ist. Ist dem nicht so, fordert der Wagen unmissverständlich dazu auf, die Kontrolle zu übernehmen. In der Praxis funktioniert das System auf weiten Strecken zuverlässig

Details

AI system

Workflow

The BMW used cameras, radar sensors and navigation data. With route guidance active, the car changed motorways, changed lanes and overtook on its own at up to 130 km/h. A cabin camera checked that the driver's eyes were on the road, and each lane change needed a glance in the mirror to confirm it.

Follow-up

Conditions for replication

The driver stays responsible and must keep watching the road. ADAC states that the tested Level 2+ and Level 3 systems may currently be used only on German motorways.

Entry details

Sector

Road vehicle assisted driving.

Purpose

BMW built its Motorway Assistant to steer, change lanes and keep pace on motorways while the driver keeps watching the road.

Not yet checked: model, release, provider, role, configuration, inputs and outputs, autonomy, human oversight, AI contribution, beneficiaries, reach, distribution and access, duration, every measurement question, every money question, ownership and control, dependencies, cross-border connections, geopolitical implications, replication attempts, availability, institutional decision, grounds, action and result, success criterion, every evidence question, observed or intended, alternative assessments, related entries, other identifiers, category mappings.

Cite this record

Peter H. Vartanian. (2026). ADAC finds that BMW's Motorway Assistant is reliable on the Autobahn (AIBD-0878). Artificial Intelligence Benefits Database, edition of 31 October 2026. https://petervartanian.xyz/aibd/records/AIBD-0878.html (archived at https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/AADSII, version 4.0)

BibTeX Data Field definitions