Ford Mustang Mach-E gets 'hands-off' self-driving... but you'll still need to pay attention

Ford is bringing advanced driver assistance (ADAS) to Great Britain via the 2023 Mustang Mach-E. The newest iteration of its BlueCruise ADAS has regulatory approval from the Department for Transport (DfT) for SAE Level 2 autonomy. That means the car can pilot itself and the driver can take their hands off, but they must continue supervising the car’s progress.

It means Ford becomes the first car maker to be given authorisation for Level 2 autonomous driving, outside of pilots and testing on this side of the pond.

Drivers of the all-electric Mach-E can activate a subscription for BlueCruise, which it can then use on 2,300 miles of pre-mapped motorways routes across the three land-connected nations – sorry, Northern Ireland.

BlueCruise is the next step to advanced cruise control. Instead of maintaining a set speed and keeping within the demarcated lanes, this self-piloting technology monitors the traffic, speed signs and driver attention, as well as assessing the ever-changing environment on a live road, to navigate stretches of the motorway without the driver needing to steer.

However, Level 2 autonomy requires supervision and needs the driver to intervene if the vehicle is unsure of the best decision to make, or indicates that it's time to take back control. Ford says BlueCruise users in North America have covered some 64 million miles of journeys handsfree so far.