As of October 19, 2026, you can’t buy a new car in the U.S. with an approved Level 3 system. The only one ever approved here, Mercedes-Benz Drive Pilot, came on pre-facelift S-Class and EQS sedans and works only in California and Nevada. Mercedes left it off the 2026 facelifts. Everything else sold as “hands-free,” including Tesla FSD (Supervised), GM Super Cruise and Ford BlueCruise, is Level 2: you must keep watching the road.
What Level 3 means in practice
Under SAE’s levels, Level 3 is the first step where the car is driving and you’re allowed to look away, within set limits. You must take back control when the car asks. With Level 2, the car can steer and brake, but you’re the driver the whole time, even with your hands off the wheel. That difference is why Level 3 approvals are rare: the automaker takes on responsibility while the system is engaged.
The Level 3 systems that have been sold, and where they stand
- Mercedes-Benz Drive Pilot (U.S. and Germany): approved in Nevada in January 2023 and California in June 2023, on mapped highways at up to 40 mph, in daylight and good weather. Mercedes dropped it from the facelifted S-Class and EQS in 2026 and offers a Level 2 system, MB.Drive Assist Pro, instead. Our Drive Pilot guide covers the permit conditions, the $2,500 launch price and what to check on a used car.
- BMW Personal Pilot L3 (Germany): available on the 7 Series in Germany from March 2024 for about €6,000, on approved highways up to 60 km/h (37 mph). It wasn’t offered in the U.S. In February 2026, BMWBLOG reported, citing Automobilwoche, that the facelifted 7 Series will drop it for a Level 2 system. BMW hadn’t confirmed that in the report.
- Changan Deepal SL03 and BAIC Arcfox Alpha S (China): China’s industry ministry gave the first national Level 3 approvals in December 2025, electrive reported. The Deepal works on set roads in Chongqing in congested, single-lane traffic up to 50 km/h. The Arcfox works on Beijing expressways and urban motorways up to 80 km/h. Each new area still needs local approval.
Honda’s Legend, sold in Japan in 2021 in a limited lease run, was the first production Level 3 car. It is no longer offered.
Systems that are often called Level 3 but aren’t
- Tesla FSD (Supervised): Level 2. Tesla’s own name says you supervise it. See what FSD costs and which hardware gets what.
- GM Super Cruise and Ford BlueCruise: Level 2 hands-free highway systems with driver monitoring. Our Super Cruise vs BlueCruise comparison covers cost and roads.
- Rivian Universal Hands-Free: Level 2. Details in our Rivian Autonomy+ guide.
- Robotaxis such as Waymo: Level 4. No one has to take over inside the service area, but you can’t buy the car.
What’s coming
GM announced on October 22, 2025 that it will bring “eyes-off” driving to the Cadillac Escalade IQ in 2028, starting on highways, using lidar, radar and cameras (GM announcement). GM didn’t label it Level 3 in that release, and said availability will depend on state rules. Mercedes has talked about a Level 4 system with NVIDIA for its next-generation S-Class later this decade, with no date.
Until one of these ships, the practical options in the U.S. are a used pre-facelift Mercedes with Drive Pilot, if you live in California or Nevada, or a Level 2 system where you stay responsible.