“The government’s announcement will remove some of these hurdles, while also encouraging the UK to become an early adopter. I would expect that as the technology advances, the prices will start to fall.”

Extensive trials in the US have proved so successful that driverless vehicles are now allowed on public roads in California, Nevada and Florida.

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Ogi Redzic, vice president of connected driving at Nokia’s mapping business, HERE, also welcomed the plans citing the safety improvements available to businesses by taking the employee risk out of business travel.

He said: “It’s great to see that the UK government is taking steps to make autonomous driving a reality as soon as next year because we believe it can keep drivers safer.