QCar Self-Driving Car Student Competition

The global AI-driving challenge arrives at CPS-IoT Week 2026!

Are you ready to push the boundaries of autonomous driving? The MathWorks–Quanser Self-Driving Car Student Competition invites ambitious student teams from around the world to design the next generation of intelligent mobility — using MATLAB®, Simulink®, QLabs Virtual QCar, and real QCar hardware. Join us for an unforgettable technical and competitive experience!

A Worldwide Challenge

Students will build, test, and refine their own perception and decision-making algorithms as they navigate a virtual city.

The mission:

  • Complete pick-up and drop-off requests
  • Follow road rules
  • Make smart, revenue-maximizing decisions
  • Climb the leaderboard through intelligent autonomy
Your AI drives. Your strategy wins.

Two Thrilling Stages

Stage 1 – Virtual Competition

Use the QLabs Virtual QCar environment to develop and simulate your entire autonomous driving stack. Submit your results as:

  • A demonstration video
  • A technical report
Top-scoring teams earn a place in the finals.

Stage 2 – Live Finals @ CPS-IoT Week

Finalists are invited to France to bring their algorithms to life on the physical Quanser QCar 2. This is where virtual models meet real-world robotics — in front of the CPS-IoT community.
Key Dates

  • Registration deadline: February 27, 2026
  • Video submission: March 31, 2026
  • On-site finals: May 11–14, 2026

Why Participate?

Because this competition does more than test your skills — it accelerates your career.

Participants gain:

  • Hands-on experience with industry-standard autonomous driving tools
  • Realistic simulation and hardware-in-the-loop training
  • Exposure to leading researchers and industry experts
  • A chance to showcase their work on an international stage
1st Place:
  • $1,000
  • One-year MATLAB/Simulink and QLabs license
  • Winner certificate
2nd & 3rd Places:
  • One-year MATLAB/Simulink and QLabs license
  • Certificates

But the biggest prize? Visibility and recognition in the CPS and AI robotics community.

Get Started

Everything you need to compete is available:

  • MATLAB/Simulink student competition license
  • QLabs Virtual QCar add-on
  • Starter code & scenarios on GitHub
  • Tutorials for perception, ADAS, sensor fusion, scene creation, and more
All information is available in MathWorks–Quanser Self-Driving Car Student Competition

Contact

For participation questions, licenses, or support: racinglounge@mathworks.com