National standards for the safety requirements of Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous driving systems have been released.
The mandatory national standard “Intelligent and Connected Vehicles—Safety Requirements for Automated Driving Systems” (GB 44721—2026)—organized and formulated under the guidance of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT)—has been approved and released by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Standardization Administration of China. It is scheduled to come into effect on July 1, 2027.
In recent years, my country has seen rapid iteration and breakthroughs in automated driving technology, alongside the orderly advancement of road testing and demonstration for intelligent and connected vehicles; notably, two L3-level (conditionally automated driving) vehicle models received conditional market access permits in 2025. To meet the higher standardization demands arising from the industry’s rapid growth, the MIIT accelerated the development of the standard system and the formulation of critical, urgently needed standards for intelligent and connected vehicles, initiating the drafting of the “Safety Requirements” standard through the National Technical Committee of Auto Standardization.
The “Safety Requirements” apply to Category M and N vehicles equipped with L3-level or L4-level (highly automated driving) systems, but do not apply to automated parking systems. An official from the MIIT’s Department of Equipment Industry I stated that the standard is grounded in the practical needs of my country’s industrial development and regulatory oversight. It balances technical feasibility, industrial adaptability, and practical implementation, establishing a comprehensive safety requirement system with clear specifications tailored to national conditions.
Regarding specific content, the standard stipulates that the safety level of the automated driving system must at least match that of a competent and attentive human driver performing the dynamic driving task, while ensuring no unreasonable safety risks are posed to users or other road users.
Notably, regarding human-machine interaction and user notification, the standard mandates safe activation and deactivation processes for automated driving systems and specifies requirements for status information and signals—such as system readiness, activation, and deactivation. L3-level systems are also required to include a function for monitoring the driver’s takeover capability. Furthermore, vehicle manufacturers are required to clearly inform users of key information—including the level of driving automation, operational capabilities, limitations, control strategies, and user role transitions—through channels such as official websites and in-vehicle displays (in addition to the owner’s manual), thereby guiding users toward a correct understanding and proper use of the technology. “This is China’s first mandatory national standard for L3 and L4 autonomous driving, marking a shift for advanced intelligent driving systems from conceptual marketing to rigorous safety regulation. The standard mandates a full-lifecycle safety management and record-keeping system, sets strict requirements for human-machine interaction, takeover monitoring, and ‘minimal risk maneuvers,’ and aims to curb the practice of treating consumers as test subjects—thereby protecting user safety. At the same time, it avoids locking in specific sensor technology paths, leaving room for innovation while aligning with international regulations; this lays a compliance foundation for the mass production and global export of domestic advanced intelligent driving systems,” said Cui Dongshu, Secretary-General of the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
Ji Xuehong, Director of the Automotive Industry Innovation Research Center at North China University of Technology, believes the standard provides clear guidelines for market entry and liability determination regarding the deployment of L3 systems. “The standard clarifies that the automaker bears liability for accidents caused by the vehicle within its operational design domain, while the driver is held liable if they fail to take control within 10 seconds of a takeover alert. This resolves long-standing disputes. Furthermore, the requirement for ‘minimal risk maneuvers’—mandating that the vehicle pull over to the side of the road rather than stopping in the middle of traffic—effectively ensures safety.”
In fact, companies have recently been actively advancing the R&D and deployment of L3 and L4 products, and the implementation of this standard will further propel the industry’s development.
Gu Gongyao, Vice President of Momenta, stated that safety is the fundamental cornerstone of the advanced intelligent driving industry. The release of this standard establishes a unified safety baseline for market entry, plays a crucial role in reinforcing corporate accountability for safety and standardizing the R&D and application of autonomous driving technology, and will drive comprehensive capability upgrades across the industry while regulating market order. Simultaneously, the industry’s compliance threshold will rise, fostering long-term, healthy development.