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Lookup · after the crashSelf-driving car crash lookupFind the company behind the car you saw.

Pick what the car looked like to see which company most likely operated it and what the DMV and the CPUC allow it to do. Then search NHTSA's public crash reports for California by month, company and city. A report shows that the company reported a crash. It does not say who caused it.

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★★★★★Five star average on Google · Award-winning · Millions recovered · Josh Kohanim, Esq., California Bar No. 328609

Josh Kohanim, Esq.Written and reviewed by Josh Kohanim, Esq., California Bar No. 328609 · Published · Reviewed

Step 1. What did the car look like?
Most likely

Pick what you saw. The answer names the company that most likely operated the car and what California has allowed it to do.

Step 2. Find the federal crash report

The city named in the report. Federal reports leave out the day and the street.

Covers California reports from July 2021 to August 2026, from NHTSA's release of September 15, 2026. Tesla rides with a driver report to a different federal file and do not appear here.

Federal crash reports

Choose the month and the company, and add the city if you know it. Matching reports show the time, what the car hit, any injuries reported, the police agency and the company's own description.

From NHTSA's public crash reports under Standing General Order 2021-01 for cars with an automated driving system. The descriptions are the companies' own, NHTSA has not verified them, and its data are not normalized for miles driven, so counts do not compare companies. A report shows that a crash was reported; it does not say who caused it. For exact locations after April 28, 2026, see UC Berkeley's Transportation Injury Mapping System. How to get the full record: evidence after a self-driving car crash. Wise Law is not affiliated with NHTSA, the DMV, the CPUC or any company named here.

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Note these before you search

After you find a likely report

What the federal reports can and cannot show

NHTSA collects these reports under its Standing General Order, and it says the program "is not currently a program designed to support normalized, 'apples-to-apples' comparison scorecards of the various technologies," and that its notices are "based on allegations of a crash, rather than verified crashes" (Federal Register, May 26, 2026). Its data dictionary adds that "the same crash may have multiple reports" and "summary incident report data are not normalized." So the lookup shows reports one at a time and never counts or ranks companies.

Tesla is not in this search

A Tesla on Autopilot or FSD (Supervised) is a driver-assist car, not a self-driving car under California law, and its crashes go to a different federal file. Our Tesla Autopilot and FSD crash page explains how those claims work.

Where the data comes from

Step 1 uses the DMV permit-holder lists, the CPUC permit list and the companies' own pages, as checked on October 5, 2026. Step 2 searches a copy of NHTSA's public crash reports for California (current file and 2021 to 2025 archive), refreshed after each monthly release. UC Berkeley's Transportation Injury Mapping System maps California reports since April 28, 2026 with exact locations. The lookup does not log your searches. Wise Law is not affiliated with NHTSA, the DMV, the CPUC, UC Berkeley or any company named here. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Related pages

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This page is general information, not legal advice for your situation. Submitting this form does not create an attorney-client relationship. An attorney-client relationship is formed only by a signed written fee agreement.

Questions about this tool

How do I find out which company owns a self-driving car that hit me?
Start with what you saw and the license plate. A white car with a sensor unit on the roof and Waymo on the side is a Waymo; a boxy car with no steering wheel that looks the same at both ends is a Zoox. The police report names the vehicle and its owner, and the company's permit appears on the DMV's list of autonomous vehicle permit holders.
Is every self-driving car crash in this search?
No. It covers crashes that companies reported to NHTSA under its Standing General Order for cars with an automated driving system, in California, through the latest monthly release. A report usually appears one to two and a half months after a crash, and a crash the company never learned about may not appear. Tesla driver-assist crashes go to a separate federal file and are not included.
Why can't I search by the exact date or street?
NHTSA removes the day of the month, the street address, the coordinates and the ZIP code from the public files before it publishes them. The search therefore runs on the month, the city and the company, and the time of the crash is usually what identifies one report. UC Berkeley's Transportation Injury Mapping System shows exact locations for California reports since April 28, 2026.
Does a crash report mean the self-driving car was at fault?
No. A report shows that a company reported a crash involving its car. In about half of the California reports filed through August 2026, the company recorded its own car as stopped just before the crash. The description is the company's own, and NHTSA says the reports are based on allegations rather than verified crashes. Fault is decided from all the evidence, including the police report, video and witnesses.
What does it mean that a report has several versions?
Companies can update a report after they first file it, and NHTSA publishes each version. The search shows the latest one and tells you how many exist. Earlier versions can leave things out that later ones add, so a lawyer asking for records asks for every version and the data behind it.
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Which company's car was it?
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Did police come?
How serious were the injuries?
Do you have photos or video?

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