In California, the lights have initially been approved for a two-year test. In Nevada, they will become legal for production cars from 2026.

Mercedes chief technology officer Markus Schäfer said: “With the development of automated-driving marker lights, Mercedes-Benz is once again setting new industry standards.

“We’re the first auto maker in the world to receive such approvals in the US, specifically in California and Nevada.

“The more automated driving vehicles populate the road, the more important communication and interaction between the vehicle and the environment become.”

Schäfer previously hailed the introduction of Drive Pilot as a “radical paradigm shift”, as the first level-three system to receive official approval.