200 million kilometres of hands-free driving
with the BMW Highway Assistant.

Driving hands-free, staying alert, arriving more relaxed: How the BMW Group is advancing assisted driving with the BMW Highway Assistant – and why 200 million customer kilometres are just the start.

Long stretches of motorway driving demand a high level of concentration: drivers must stay centred in their lane, judge distances and scan mile after mile of road. Many experience neck strain from holding the steering wheel, whether on their daily commute or longer road trips.

The BMW Highway Assistant delivers real benefits, allowing drivers to rest their hands comfortably in their laps while remaining attentive and ready to intervene if needed.

BMW Group customers have now covered more than 200 million kilometres of hands-free driving with the BMW Highway Assistant – the equivalent of more than 5,000 times around the globe. Rather than being confined to the lab, the system is already in use on the road, in the BMW 5 and 7 Series, the BMW iX, the BMW X5, X6, X7 and XM, and the new BMW iX3.

On suitable stretches of motorway, the Highway Assistant enables hands-free driving at speeds of up to 130 km/h. In addition to maintaining a constant speed and a safe following distance, it keeps the vehicle centred in its lane and assists with lane changes when required. 

When it suggests a change, the driver can simply confirm the manoeuvre by glancing in the wing mirror, after which the car will complete it automatically.

“The symbiotic interaction between driver and driver assistance during hands-free driving with our Highway Assistant, and the underlying safety concept, are unique in the industry. Over 200 million kilometres of hands-free highway driving in real-world customer use demonstrate just how reliable and relevant this system is in everyday life,” says Dr Mihiar Ayoubi, head of Development, Driving Experience at the BMW Group.

The latest generation of the BMW Driver Assistance System is being rolled out across Europe, expanding from a single country to more than 20. While the previous generation was limited to Germany, the US and Canada, the latest version – which also features in the BMW iX3 – now has DCAS approval1, enabling hands-free driving on many European motorways, including across national borders.

The latest system will also be introduced in upcoming models such as the new BMW i3 and the BMW 7 Series. 

Initial availability includes Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, amongst others. The UK, Ireland, Spain and Portugal will follow during the summer, with additional European markets to be added at a later stage.

To ensure hands-free driving is both safe and reliable, the BMW Group has implemented a multi-layered safety concept. This includes redundant lane and position detection through cameras and high-resolution maps. In addition, the system continuously verifies that the vehicle remains centred using data from the side cameras. 

A safety chip in the ADAS control unit constantly monitors the correct functioning of all systems.

Responsibility remains with the driver. A driver-facing camera ensures they remain alert and able to react at all times by analysing their gaze direction, eye status and head movements. 

The Highway Assistant is designed for hands-free driving exclusively on suitable stretches of road. When the system detects that the driver needs to place their hands back on the steering wheel, it prompts them to do so – for example, when approaching a highway exit.

The BMW Highway Assistant is part of the latest generation of Level 2 driver assistance systems featuring BMW Symbiotic Drive. This technology aligns the assistance systems even more closely with human driving behaviour. 

When it is activated, longitudinal or lateral control no longer immediately deactivate every time the driver accelerates, steers and brakes. The result is a more natural user experience with smoother transitions between driver-controlled and system-controlled operations.

This makes longer distances noticeably easier to drive. Drivers enjoy effective support from the system while retaining full control and responsibility. 200 million hands-free customer kilometres are just the start: as rollout continues, innovative assistance systems by the BMW Group will increasingly make their way into everyday driving.

¹ Approval of driver assistance systems in accordance with UN Regulation No. 171 for Driver Control Assistance Systems (DCAS).