China Sets Mandatory Safety Standards for Autonomous Driving

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China released a mandatory national safety standard for autonomous driving systems on August 4. Approved by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the National Standardization Administration, the regulations are scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2027.

The standards apply to M- and N-category vehicles utilizing Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous driving systems, although automated parking systems are excluded. Under the new rules, vehicle manufacturers must implement safety assurance mechanisms throughout the product life cycle and perform a combination of simulation, field, and road tests during the development phase.

Technical requirements focus on enhancing dynamic driving tasks and establishing human-machine interaction protocols to prevent system misuse. For Level 3 systems, the regulations specifically require vehicles to monitor a driver's readiness to resume manual control. The ministry stated it intends to further refine market access management and testing methods to regulate the intelligent connected vehicle sector.