Texas DMV listings now show 1,302 Tesla Robotaxi vehicles to Waymo's 1,297, up from 42 to 577 in May. Here's how the count works, what it says about each city, and why registered cars aren't the same as rides.
Photo: Ajay Suresh / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Six months ago, Texas made robotaxi companies show their cards, and Tesla's hand looked weak. When the state's autonomous vehicle registry went public in late May, Tesla had 42 vehicles on it. Waymo had 577. As of this week, the order has flipped. Texas records now list 1,302 vehicles for Tesla Robotaxi and 1,297 for Waymo, a lead of five cars.
The milestone is real, and so is the growth behind it. Tesla's registered Texas fleet has multiplied about 31 times since May. But a registration is a permit to operate, not a car carrying a rider. Here is what the numbers show, how they are counted, and what they leave out.
Texas Senate Bill 2807, which took effect in September 2025, requires any company running automated vehicles commercially to hold an authorization from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. The requirement became enforceable on May 28, 2026. Each company lists the specific vehicles on its authorization and adds or removes them as its fleet changes. To qualify, each vehicle must be registered and titled in Texas, carry insurance, have a recording device, and be able to bring itself to a safe stop if its driving system fails.
The state publishes those listings. An independent account, the Texas Autonomous Vehicle Tracker, checks them and posts changes. On November 10 it reported: "Tesla Robotaxi just added 20 Tesla Model Ys to its fleet. The Texas fleet now stands at 1302 vehicles." Teslarati, which first reported the flip, put Waymo at 1,297 on the same date. Tesla's total breaks down to 729 Model Ys and 573 Cybercabs.
| Date | Tesla | Waymo | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 28, 2026 | 42 | 577 | Registry becomes enforceable |
| Aug. 31, 2026 | First 7 Cybercabs added | n/a | 45 Cybercabs listed by day's end |
| Oct. 27, 2026 | 1,051 | n/a | Cybercabs (544) outnumber Model Ys (507) |
| Oct. 31, 2026 | 1,204 | 1,259 | Tesla trails by 55 |
| Nov. 10, 2026 | 1,302 | 1,297 | Tesla leads by 5 |
Sources: TechCrunch (May), Drive Tesla Canada (Aug. and Oct. 27), TeslaNorth (Oct. 31) and Teslarati (Nov. 10), all citing TxDMV listings. "n/a" means the source did not report a Waymo figure for that date.
One detail in the table stands out. Tesla's Cybercab count has held at 573 since at least October 31. Every vehicle Tesla added in the last stretch was a Model Y. That fits a report from Drive Tesla Canada that, according to Tesla vehicle engineering chief Lars Moravy, Tesla does not run its Cybercab line every day because output is getting ahead of Robotaxi deployment.
For context, Elon Musk told CNBC in May 2025, "I think we'll probably be at 1,000 within a few months," talking about Tesla's Robotaxi fleet. On the Texas registry, Tesla passed that mark in late October.
This is where the registry runs out of answers. The TxDMV listings do not say which city a vehicle serves. What is known about each company's Texas footprint:
| City | Tesla Robotaxi | Waymo |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | Largest Tesla market; 453 driverless Teslas tracked; only city with Cybercab rides | Since March 2025, booked through Uber |
| Houston | Driverless service | Waymo app, since February 2026 |
| Dallas | Driverless service | Waymo app, since February 2026 |
| San Antonio | Launched this week; no cars tracked yet as of Nov. 9 | Waymo app, about 59 sq mi |
| Fort Worth | Launched Nov. 2 | Not offered |
Tracked vehicle counts come from the community-run Robotaxi Tracker as reported by Electrek on November 9. Tesla's newest Texas maps are covered in our story on the San Antonio launch and the 443-square-mile Austin expansion.
The gap between paperwork and pavement is the most important part of this story. Robotaxi Tracker, which counts vehicles from rider reports and public data, had logged 666 Tesla driverless vehicles nationwide as of November 9. That is about half of Tesla's 1,302 registered vehicles in Texas alone. Some of the difference is likely cars the tracker hasn't spotted. Some is cars listed with the state but not yet carrying paying riders.
Nationally, Waymo is still well ahead. Robotaxi Tracker counts more than 4,000 Waymo driverless vehicles across the US, and Waymo has said it gives more than 500,000 paid rides a week. Tesla does not publish weekly ride numbers. Waymo has also been reshaping how Texans reach it: it plans to launch its own app in Austin, where it now sells rides only through Uber, as we covered in our story on the Waymo and Uber partnership ending.
The registry flip is a marker. It shows that Tesla has built and titled cars at a pace few expected in May, when its Texas count trailed Waymo's by more than 13 to 1. It also shows where Tesla is placing its bet. Texas now holds the bulk of Tesla's Robotaxi service, while Waymo spreads its fleet across many states.
What it does not show is that Tesla now carries more Texas riders than Waymo. Neither company publishes ride figures for Texas, and the best independent count of Tesla cars on the road is about half of its registered total. The next useful signal will be whether that tracked number rises to meet the registry, and how quickly.
"Tesla Robotaxi just added 20 Tesla Model Ys to its fleet. The Texas fleet now stands at 1302 vehicles."
Texas Autonomous Vehicle Tracker, November 10, 2026The bottom line: Texas DMV listings now show 1,302 Tesla Robotaxi vehicles to Waymo's 1,297, up from 42 to 577 in May. Tesla's count includes 573 Cybercabs, and all of its recent growth has been Model Ys. The lead is five cars, and the registry measures permits, not rides. Independent trackers see far fewer Teslas actually driving riders, and Waymo remains much larger nationwide. Still, Tesla has closed a 13-to-1 gap in under six months.
Related: Tesla Robotaxi launches in San Antonio · Waymo and Uber partnership ending · Tesla's Robotaxi safety report
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