Waymo's 3,200-vehicle bet on Zeekr: what UK buyers in the Geely family need to know
Waymo has imported more than 3,200 Zeekr Ojai robotaxis into the United States since 2024 — absorbing a 127.5% Chinese EV tariff to do so. For UK buyers of Smart #1, Lotus and Polestar, the story is less about tariffs and more about what it reveals: that a global autonomous-vehicle operator trusted Geely's technology enough to bet its fleet on it.
Kai Zhang, Editor-in-ChiefLast checked: 2 Sept 2026The import that shouldn't make economic sense — but does
Alphabet's Waymo opened its fully driverless service to all riders in August 2026. The vehicles at the heart of that service are Zeekr Ojai robotaxis — Chinese-built, imported into the United States at a 127.5% tariff. That tariff effectively means Waymo pays roughly £2 in duty for every £1 of vehicle value. The company continues to do so because commercial fleet economics are fundamentally different from retail. A robotaxi is evaluated over its entire operating lifetime — hundreds of thousands of miles — where purchase price is one input among many. Reliability, serviceability, and total cost per mile matter more. The fact that Waymo reached 3,200 vehicles and opened to all riders rather than staying in a limited pilot is the signal: the Ojai passed the commercial stress test.
Zeekr, Geely, and the platform UK buyers already own
Zeekr is Geely Group's premium electric brand, founded in 2021 and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2024. The Ojai robotaxi rides on SEA-M — Geely's Sustainable Experience Architecture — the same modular electric platform family underpinning the Smart #1 and Smart #3 sold in the UK today. The Ojai body was designed in Sweden, part of Geely's longstanding Nordic engineering network that runs from Volvo Cars through Polestar to Lotus in Hethel, Norfolk. Geely Group is not a niche player hedging its bets: it exported 106,663 vehicles in July 2026 alone, up 202% year on year, making it one of the fastest-growing vehicle exporters on earth.
What this means for UK buyers — and what it does not mean
Zeekr has not confirmed a UK launch. The brand currently sells in the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Denmark, all left-hand-drive markets. A right-hand-drive derivative for the UK and Australia has not been announced. UK buyers should resist reading the Waymo relationship as a signal that Zeekr is imminent or cheap here. The US tariff regime (127.5%) is wholly different from the UK's, and commercial fleet economics do not translate to consumer retail. What the story does confirm, more quietly, is that UK owners of Geely-family cars — Smart #1 owners most directly — are driving technology that a global autonomous-vehicle company has staked its commercial service on. That is not a trivial endorsement.
Three signals for UK observers of the Geely group
The Waymo relationship is live and accelerating — 2,600 vehicles in 2026 alone, versus roughly 600 in all of 2024–2025 combined. That pace tells us Waymo has moved from evaluation to confidence. Three things are worth watching for UK buyers of any Geely-family car. First: whether Zeekr announces a right-hand-drive programme before the end of 2026, which would put UK availability in sight for 2028. Second: Geely's 2027 solid-state battery pilot, which spans every brand in the group — Zeekr, Smart, Volvo, Polestar, Lotus and Lynk & Co — meaning UK owners may see the technology arrive in cars they can actually buy. Third: the Waymo fleet data. Every mile logged in driverless commercial service is stress-testing the platform UK buyers already own.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Zeekr coming to the UK?
- Zeekr has not confirmed a UK launch date or a right-hand-drive model as of August 2026. The brand currently sells only in left-hand-drive markets: the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. If Zeekr announces a right-hand-drive programme before the end of 2026, UK availability could be in sight for 2028.
- Is Zeekr owned by the same company as Smart, Volvo and Polestar?
- Yes. Zeekr is part of Geely Group, the same parent company behind Smart, Volvo Cars, Polestar and Lotus. The Zeekr Ojai robotaxi rides on the SEA-M platform, the same modular architecture family that underpins the Smart #1 and Smart #3 already on sale in the UK.
- Why does Waymo use Chinese-made Zeekr cars despite the tariff?
- Waymo has imported more than 3,200 Zeekr Ojai robotaxis into the US since 2024, absorbing a 127.5% tariff on each one. Robotaxi economics are judged over hundreds of thousands of miles, where reliability and cost per mile matter more than the upfront purchase price.
- Does the Waymo Zeekr deal mean cheaper Chinese EVs for the UK?
- No. The US tariff of 127.5% is a punitive regime aimed at blocking consumer imports, and commercial fleet cost logic does not apply to UK retail buyers. UK buyers should not read the Waymo relationship as a signal that Zeekr is imminent or cheap here, and no UK launch has been confirmed.
- Will Geely's solid-state battery come to UK cars?
- Geely is planning a solid-state battery pilot for 2027 across the whole group, including Zeekr, Smart, Volvo, Polestar, Lotus and Lynk & Co, targeting 500 Wh/kg energy density. Geely claims 1,000 km (621 miles) in prototype testing, though this is an unverified manufacturer claim rather than an independently confirmed figure.
Keep reading
Put the numbers to work
Turn a WLTP figure into a realistic UK winter range, or see what salary sacrifice saves on your tax band.