Will invite regulators to take test drive in yet-to-be-approved borough.

Driverless cars could imminently be operating on London's streets, after Nissan announced it had been cleared by the UK government to commence limited trials.

While Google has been testing its own autonomous vehicles on public roads near its Californian headquarters, Nissan claimed that its driverless cars will be the first to hit public roads in Europe—if, that is, the Japanese manufacturer receives final approval from an undisclosed local authority in the UK's capital.

Nissan's round of secretive tests will apparently see passengers escorted across a route in a single borough, a spokesperson told Ars, once clearance is confirmed. However, the trials won't be open to all-comers—instead, politicians, regulators, and safety experts will have access to "real-world demonstrations," with backup drivers present in the cars at all times.

A modified Nissan Leaf electric car, equipped with a special suite of radar, laser, and camera systems, will be used for the test. It's a model of vehicle that reportedly isn't expected to be made commercially available until at least 2020, however.

Last year, Nissan confirmed it would expand production facilities in the north-east of England. Seemingly in response to that decision, the UK government is throwing its support behind Nissan's autonomous driving tests, though, at this stage we're told that no taxpayer-funded cash is involved.

Business and energy secretary Greg Clark, who was given a test drive with the new system—dubbed Nissan Intelligent Mobility—announced government backing for the tests on a visit to Nissan's R&D centre in Cranfield, near Milton Keynes on Friday. He said:

Government and industry are working together to build on our world class reputation for excellence as a leading location for automotive R&D and manufacturing. We want to see centres, like Nissan's here in Cranfield, continue to develop, making us a world leader in the development and testing of auto technology so we can anchor the next generation of vehicle manufacturing and its supply chain here in the UK.

Roughly one in three cars made in the UK are made by Nissan, which claims to provide up to 40,000 jobs across its supply chain. Its forthcoming Qashqai SUV will be able to steer autonomously in motorway lanes, while its Serena minivan, which does the same thing, is already available in Japan.

A recent department for transport study suggested that, once a quarter or more of cars on UK roads are driverless, congestion should start to fall. Until then, however, "cautious" early models would cause a "potential decrease in effective capacity" on motorways and other main roads. A planned change in insurance policy, meanwhile, will leave insurers responsible for compensation to "innocent victims" of collisions involving the new vehicles, but if the technology is found to have caused the crash, they will be able to recover costs from the manufacturers.

Nissan's Europe chairman, Paul Willcox, said: "With future models secured and cutting-edge innovation being developed right here in the UK, we’re looking forward to a strong future of designing, engineering, and manufacturing in the country for customers right across the world."

In 2010, the company received subsidies from the UK government and the European Investment Bank when it decided to base its electric battery plant in Sunderland.