Top 10 Self-Driving Cars

The Future of Driving

Call them what you like: self-driving cars, autonomous vehicles, autopiloted rides. The bottom line is that they are changing the way we drive — or don't drive — our cars today. As tech features begin to rival the importance of torque and horsepower, consumers are shifting to a new class of vehicles that stay connected to smartphones, parallel park themselves and even brake before collisions. Here at GAYOT, we've done the legwork to come up with the Top 10 Best Self-Driving Cars, which include semi-autonomous vehicles, cars with some self-driving features and driverless prototype vehicles that will become available in the near future. So whether you're a car enthusiast who's all about the technology, or you're simply tired of doing all the work behind the wheel, it's time to embrace the future of driving.

Tesla Model S P90D

Tesla Model S Autopilot Features

With a recent software update for 2016, Tesla's Model S cars (both the P90D and P85D) can automatically steer down the highway, change lanes, adjust speed to traffic conditions and parallel park at the push of a button. These all-electric fastbacks use a combination of cameras, radars and sensors, as well as data collected from the road, to maintain their autopilot mode.

Volvo XC90 T8 Hybrid

Volvo Intellisafe Autopilot Mode

Volvo has made a promise to place fully autonomous vehicles on the road by 2017. These vehicles would be so autonomous, drivers could stream HDTV while the car drives itself! Road trip, anyone? But the automaker is still making waves with semi-autonomous models today. The 2016 Volvo XC90 models (T6 and T8 Hybrid) are equipped with an Intellisafe Autopilot mode similar to technology found in the Tesla Model S. Staying true to Volvo's reputation as one of the safest car manufacturers on the market, the XC90 will automatically brake in intersections when it senses oncoming traffic.

Faraday Future FFZERO1 EV

Faraday Future FFZERO1 EV Concept

This groundbreaking all-electric supercar is pushing the boundaries of driving technology. Faraday Future, a new tech company based in Nevada, debuted the ultra-fast self-driving sports car at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. With 1,000 horsepower, almost fully autonomous driving, high-tech features and a smartphone docking system in the center of the steering wheel, this is the face of the future.

BMW 750i xDrive

BMW 7 Series With Active Driving Assistance

As one of the earlier models to feature self-driving capabilities, the BMW 750i xDrive's tech is more of a driving-aid system than full autonomous commuting. The luxury sedan has a lane departure warning, an automatic braking system to prevent front-end collisions and a pedestrian alert for smart city cruising. It's also equipped with Active Cruise Control, which lets you sit back and (sort of) relax during traffic jams.

Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG Coupe

Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG Driving-Aid System

This high-performance coupe features driving-aid technology that is very similar to that of the BMW 7 Series. With its camera mounted right into the Mercedes-Benz emblem on the grill, the luxury two-door helps drivers automatically stay in the lane and avoid front-end collisions. But with an additional camera in the windshield and five radar units pointed in various directions, this Benz is also great at sensing oncoming traffic both nearby and from a significant distance.

Infiniti Q50S 3.7 Sedan

Infiniti Q50S With Intelligent Cruise Control

The Infiniti Q50S uses one windshield camera and a radar mounted on the left side of the fender to enable adaptive cruise control, emergency braking, lane departure prevention and active lane control. Not bad for a readily available 2015 model, whose ease of purchase in some ways makes it better than the impossible-to-find FFZERO1.

Audi RS 7

Audi RS 7 Piloted Driving Concept Car: Robby

Audi's production-ready prototype model named Robby is as fully autonomous as possible for present-day vehicles, but has yet to hit the market. In the meantime, consumers can look forward to Audi's next-generation A8, which will have automatic parking and piloted driving at speeds up to 37 mph — intended to make driving simpler during traffic jams. Consumers can also enjoy a few self-driving features, including automated parking and lane-keeping, in some RS 7 models.

Acura RLX Sedan Self-Driving Prototype

Acura RLX Sedan Self-Driving Prototype

Honda recently announced its goal to have self-driving vehicles on the market by 2020. Last year, the automaker tested an Acura RLX prototype with self-driving technology similar to that of Google's autonomous model. While the equipment is still too large for mass production, Honda says there will be self-driving features available in most of its luxury models in the near future.

Lexus GS 450h Concept

Lexus GS 450h With Integrated Safety Concept

Toyota has announced, at various venues including the Consumer Electronics Show, that it is working on adapting its Integrated Safety self-driving technology into all models by 2030. Starting with luxury sedans like the Lexus GS 450h, the automaker will begin to include automatic parking, radar cruise control, collision warning and pedestrian alert systems standard in all Toyota and Lexus models.

Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce Invented Self-Driving Cars

Last but not least, the first automaker to feature autonomous driving technology was ahead of the game by more than a century. Yes, we're being a bit tongue-in-cheek here, but one can't help but recall Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos who was famously quoted by Bloomberg TV saying, "We have invented self-driving cars already 111 years ago with chauffeurs."