10 Airtaxies Leading the Commercialization Race
By Reuters | 08 Oct, 2025

Quiet, clean and financially viable flying cars are already ferrying passengers in cities around the world.

Airtaxies aka flying cars will liberate us from some of today's most vexing issues.  

The traffic in most major urban areas means it often takes as long to go from the airport to your office or home as to fly between cities.  And noisy, expensive helicopters can make intra-city flying a less than pleasant or practical experience.  Even more impactful to the quality of life of tens of millions of people would be cutting commute times by 75% so vast tracts of empty land located outside metro areas can be developed into more affordable and spacious homes.  

(Image by Copilot)

The solution is quiet battery-powered flying cars that can handle navigation and piloting, with or without human intervention.  Fortunately several dozen companies are now well down the road to achieving the technical, regulatory and commercial steps required to make flying cars nearly as routine as Lyfts and Ubers.  

Among such ventures are Joby, Alef and Archer in the US, China's eHang and xPeng, Japan's Skydrive, Germany's Lilium and the UK's Vertical Aerospace, as vetted by our AI researchers Copilot and Grok.

Our prompt was: 

Which 10 flying cars have achieved the highest degree of commercial use?

Copilot:

🌍 Top 10 Commercially Active Flying Cars with Headquarters Nation

Joby Aviation eVTOL Joby Aviation United States FAA certification underway; partnered with Delta; test flights in California

EHang 184/216 EHang China Approved for passenger use in China; autonomous flights in multiple cities

Volocopter 2X/VoloCity Volocopter Germany Trials in Singapore, Paris, and Rome; strong partnerships with airports

Alef Model A Alef Aeronautics United States First flying car to receive FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate

Archer Midnight Archer Aviation United States Backed by United Airlines; FAA certification in progress; test flights ongoing

Lilium Jet Lilium Germany Regional air mobility focus; test flights in Germany; pre-orders from operators

XPeng X2 XPeng AeroHT ChinaPublic flights in Dubai and China; autonomous capabilities

PAL-V Liberty PAL-V Netherlands Roadable gyroplane; certified for road use in Europe; flight certification pending

Terrafugia Transition Terrafugia (Geely) United States / ChinaRoad and air certification efforts; limited commercial rollout

Vertical Aerospace VX4 Vertical Aerospace United Kingdom Partnered with American Airlines; test flights in UK

🧭 Notes on Global Spread

• United States leads with four entries, reflecting strong investment in eVTOL innovation.
• China and Germany each host two major players, signaling their push into urban air mobility.
• Netherlands and United Kingdom round out the list with unique roadable and vertical takeoff solutions.

**

Grok:

Top 10 Flying Cars (eVTOLs) by Degree of Commercial Use

Based on current progress as of October 2025, I've ranked these 10 flying car models (primarily eVTOLs designed for urban air mobility or personal use) by their proximity to widespread commercial deployment. Criteria include regulatory certifications (e.g., type certification or airworthiness), active operations or demos, pre-orders/deliveries, and partnerships for revenue-generating services. Models with actual certifications and paid flights rank highest. Headquarters nations are for the parent companies.

| Rank | Model | Company | Headquarters Nation | Commercial Status |

|------|--------|---------|---------------------|-------------------|

| 1 | EH216-S | EHang | China | First eVTOL with full type certification in China (2023); over 1,000 units delivered for tourism, emergency, and logistics ops; international expansions in UAE and Europe. |

| 2 | S4 | Joby Aviation | USA | FAA certification Phase 4 complete; $1B+ in orders (incl. Delta Air Lines); commercial air taxi launches planned for 2025 in NYC/LA; 500+ test flights. |

| 3 | Midnight | Archer Aviation | USA | FAA certification underway; $1B order from United Airlines; manufacturing ramp-up with Stellantis; air taxi service targeting 2025 debut in major US cities. |

| 4 | VoloCity | Volocopter | Germany | EASA design org approval; 2,000+ test flights; partnerships for urban air mobility in Paris/Singapore; demo flights ongoing despite 2025 funding challenges. |

| 5 | Lilium Jet | Lilium | Germany | EASA/FAA certification targeted for 2026; €1B+ funding; regional air taxi contracts in Europe/Brazil; piloted test flights completed. |

| 6 | Alia-250 | Beta Technologies | USA | FAA airworthiness cert for cargo variant; UPS/United partnerships for logistics; 300+ flights; passenger cert expected 2026 with Amazon backing. |

| 7 | VX4 | Vertical Aerospace | UK | CAA/EASA certification progress; $1B+ orders from American Airlines; 100+ test flights; 2026 commercial entry with Rolls-Royce powertrains. |

| 8 | SD-05 | SkyDrive | Japan | JCAB type cert in process; Suzuki-backed; paid demo flights at 2025 Osaka Expo; production starting for urban shuttle services. |

| 9 | Model A | Alef Aeronautics | USA | FAA experimental cert; 2,500+ pre-orders ($300K+ each); road/flying tests complete; consumer deliveries from late 2025. |

| 10 | Liberty | PAL-V | Netherlands | European road cert (2023); FAA/EASA aviation cert pending; 100+ pre-orders; hybrid gyrocopter deliveries starting 2025 for personal use.