Comprehensive Comparisons of Reinforcement Learning Algorithms in Autonomous Driving

Dechen Xie; Mushuang Liu

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arXiv · 2610.19429

Comprehensive Comparisons of Reinforcement Learning Algorithms in Autonomous Driving

Dechen Xie·Mushuang Liu

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Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive comparison of four representative reinforcement learning (RL) methods in autonomous vehicle (AV) decision-making, including: Fitted Value Iteration (FVI), Rollout Classification Policy Iteration (RCPI), Deep Q-Network (DQN), and a discrete-action adaptation of Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (D-DDPG). The four methods are applied to the same AV decision-making problem at an unsignalized intersection and are compared in terms of optimality and safety, training stability, and training and decision cost. RCPI is the closest to a reference solution and has the most stable training process. However, it is the least data-efficient. D-DDPG reaches the second-smallest gap to a reference solution with the highest data efficiency, but has the least training stability. DQN is the most stable model-free method but has the highest collision rate. FVI achieves a lower collision rate than DQN, but is less data-efficient and less stable. Based on these results, we provide suggestions for selecting a method according to whether a model is available, the budget for training, and whether stable training is required.

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BibTeX RIS

Dechen Xie, Mushuang Liu. 2026-10-14. Comprehensive Comparisons of Reinforcement Learning Algorithms in Autonomous Driving. https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.19429

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