A new cyber security standard for car makers has been introduced in the UK, intended to calm fears over car hacking and position the UK as a leader in the development of self-driving vehicles.

The government announced the new standard today, following the publication last year of the key principles for cybersecurity in autonomous vehicles.

The standard, funded by the Department for Transport and developed by the British Standards Institute (BSI), is not mandatory for car makers. The government said: “Car manufacturers will be able to use the new standard to demonstrate they are following these principles.”

The guidance was developed with input from carmakers including Jaguar Land Rover, Ford and Bentley.

A Ford spokesman told Autocar UK that it would implement the standards in 2021 as part of its "autonomous vehicle roll-out".

The standard is described as setting out “fundamental principles on how to provide and maintain cyber security in relation to reducing threat and harm to products, services and systems within increasingly connected and collaborative intelligent transport ecosystems”.  

Jesse Norman, Future of Mobility Minister, said: “As vehicles get smarter, major opportunities for the future of mobility increase. But so too do the challenges posed by data theft and hacking. This cybersecurity standard should help to improve the resilience and readiness of the industry, and help keep the UK at the forefront of advancing transport technology."

The government described the UK as “blazing the way”, given this is the first of its type published.

The UK market for connected and automated vehicles is forecast to be worth up £52bn (Rs 463,424 crore) by 2035. Small-scale trials of autonomous vehicles on public roads are already underway as part of the Autodrive Project which includes Jaguar Land Rover and Ford. It is predicted that single-lane autonomous trials on motorways could begin as soon as next year.