Autonomous tractor · head to head
8R Autonomy vs Trektor
Two autonomous tractor machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
John Deere · United States
Autonomy retrofit for the 8R tractor — supervised driverless tillage at scale. Deere's flagship autonomy moved to the second-generation kit on the 9RX at CES 2025; the second-gen kit retrofits MY2020.5+ 8R/8RX.
Best for: Very large arable operations already standardised on John Deere and Operations Center.SITIA · France
Hybrid diesel-electric autonomous straddle tractor from SITIA — a reconfigurable platform for vineyards, market gardens and orchards that carries standard implements for up to 24 h of work.
Best for: French vineyards and vegetable growers wanting one autonomous carrier for tillage, hoeing and spraying with existing implements.| 8R Autonomy Verified 2026-07-16 | Trektor Verified 2026-07-16 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Autonomous tractor | Autonomous tractor |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | United States | France |
| Availability | Pilot / limited | Available now |
| EU market | Pending | CE-marked |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-16 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Diesel, 410 hp (8R 410) | Hybrid — electric drive recharged by on-board diesel generator |
| Required tractor power | Is the tractor (up to 410 hp) | Is the machine (autonomous tool carrier) |
| Dimensions | Standard 8R chassis | Configurable track width and clearance per crop (vineyard/vegetable/orchard set-ups) |
| Weight | ~15,000 kg | Not disclosed |
| Min farm size | 400 ha | Not disclosed |
| Productivity | Field-dependent; 24 h duty capable | Up to 24 h continuous operation per fuel fill |
| Max speed | 42 km/h (road) | Not disclosed |
| Sensors | 6 stereo camera pairs · 360° obstacle detection | GNSS RTK · perception and localisation sensor suite · CE-certified safety system |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Native price | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Subscription autonomy on owned/leased 8R (US pilot) | Direct sale/lease via SITIA (France); ~€242k–251k figures circulated in 2020 are outdated and unverified for 2026 |
| Ongoing cost | Not disclosed — subscription, region-dependent | Not disclosed |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Operator supervision 1 supervisor/several · vendor | Fuel consumption −50% · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | Not filed for EU autonomous operation | CE-certified safety technology (vendor statement) |
| Machinery Regulation | EU autonomous approval not yet in place | Marketed in France as CE-conform; 2023/1230 transition status not published |
| CAP subsidy | Not applicable pending EU availability | French growers have used agri-equipment subsidy schemes; no EU-wide CAP listing verified |
"—" means the manufacturer has not disclosed the figure; we never estimate silently. Model either machine's payback with your own numbers on its ROI calculator page.