Chart · as of July 2026
The Hype Gap Quadrant
Verified reality against media attention, as form-factor percentiles. A dot above the parity line draws more attention than its verified footprint supports. The verified axis is the part no one else can compute.
As of July 2026, among 26 verified AVs, the widest Hype Gap belongs to PlusDrive: attention at the 94th percentile against reality at the 14th, a gap of +80.7.
The clearest reality-and-attention balance is Waymo Driver (6th gen) (98th reality, 90th attention).
Argo AI Self-Driving System operates more than it is covered (gap -88.5).
The data
| # | model | Reality | Attention | Hype Gap | Quadrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PlusDrive | 14th | 94th | +80.7 | Famous, unproven |
| 2 | Nuro R3 | 14th | 79th | +65.3 | Famous, unproven |
| 3 | Nuro R2 | 40th | 83rd | +42.3 | Famous, unproven |
| 4 | Gatik Autonomous Drive | 14th | 56th | +42.3 | Famous, unproven |
| 5 | Mobileye Drive | 33rd | 64th | +30.8 | Famous, unproven |
| 6 | Cruise Origin | 14th | 44th | +30.7 | Famous, unproven |
| 7 | Motional IONIQ 5 Robotaxi | 48th | 75th | +26.9 | Famous, unproven |
| 8 | AutoX RoboTaxi | 14th | 33rd | +19.2 | Emerging |
| 9 | Verne Robotaxi | 14th | 25th | +11.5 | Emerging |
| 10 | Aurora Driver | 58th | 67th | +9.6 | The real deal |
| 11 | Tesla Robotaxi (Model Y ADS) | 94th | 98th | +3.9 | The real deal |
| 12 | Zoox Robotaxi | 83rd | 87th | +3.8 | The real deal |
| 13 | Momenta Robotaxi | 14th | 10th | -3.9 | Emerging |
| 14 | Waymo Driver (6th gen) | 98th | 90th | -7.7 | The real deal |
| 15 | Avride Robotaxi (Hyundai Ioniq 5) | 58th | 48th | -9.6 | The real deal |
| 16 | Didi Robotaxi | 33rd | 21st | -11.5 | Emerging |
| 17 | Apollo RT6 | 87th | 71st | -15.3 | The real deal |
| 18 | Robotaxi GXR | 77th | 60th | -17.3 | The real deal |
| 19 | VW ID. Buzz AD | 64th | 40th | -23.1 | Quietly real |
| 20 | Cruise AV (Chevrolet Bolt) | 77th | 52nd | -25 | Quietly real |
| 21 | ID. Buzz AD | 33rd | 6th | -26.9 | Quietly real |
| 22 | May Mobility Autonomous Sienna | 48th | 17th | -30.8 | Quietly real |
| 23 | Pony Gen-7 Robotaxi | 67th | 37th | -30.8 | Quietly real |
| 24 | EZ10 | 48th | 14th | -34.6 | Quietly real |
| 25 | Nuro Autonomous Prius | 71st | 29th | -42.4 | Quietly real |
| 26 | Argo AI Self-Driving System | 90th | 2nd | -88.5 | Quietly real |
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