[Introduction]
Taking effect on July 1, 2027, the standard is upgraded from recommended to mandatory, comprehensively reshaping the rules of the high-level autonomous driving industry.
The era of unregulated growth in high-level autonomous driving has officially come to an end.
On July 30, the mandatory national standard "Intelligent Connected Vehicles - Safety Requirements for Automated Driving Systems" (GB 44721—2026) was released. Starting from July next year, new cars must meet the standards before going on sale, and non-compliant models are prohibited from being sold.
Transitioning from "recommended reference" to a legal baseline, this article breaks down the scope of application, division of rights and responsibilities, hard technical thresholds, and market access rules. Industry professionals and car owners can understand it all in one read.
01. Comprehensive Comparison of Old and New Standards
On July 30, the State Administration for Market Regulation officially released GB 44721—2026 "Intelligent Connected Vehicles - Safety Requirements for Automated Driving Systems." This is the first mandatory national standard in China specifically targeting L3/L4 level autonomous driving.
Removing the two letters "/T" from the standard number highlights the biggest change this time — upgrading directly from "industry reference recommendations" to a "hard legal baseline." Non-compliant models are prohibited from production and sales.
Understand the differences between the old and new standards in one chart across 8 dimensions:
Simply put, in the past, how automakers handled safety, testing, and promotion relied more on self-discipline; now, there are unified mandatory standards for everything, and violations will lead to immediate disqualification.
02. Division of Rights and Responsibilities: L3 vs. L4
In the past, when autonomous driving incidents occurred, the division of responsibility was always unclear, and in most cases, the driver was held liable.
The most core breakthrough of the new regulation is firmly defining the rights and responsibilities between humans and machines: L3 and L4 follow two completely different liability logics and cannot be confused.
Not all autonomous driving allows for "hands-off" operation; the legal liabilities of the two types of autonomous driving are fundamentally different:
Key takeaway: L3 does not mean completely freeing your hands; the 10-second takeover window is a legal red line. If you fail to take over after the system alerts you, the liability shifts from the automaker to you.
03. Three Hard Technical Baselines
In the past, many intelligent driving systems had a common flaw: they performed well under normal road conditions, but once sensors failed or computing power became abnormal, they would abruptly shut down and hand control back to the driver, which is extremely dangerous.
The new regulation specifically addresses this issue by setting three unbreakable technical safety baselines.
Writing safety baselines into mandatory regulations to eliminate "dangerous exits":
Among them, the "Minimum Risk Strategy" is the one most perceptible to ordinary car owners — the system cannot simply shift the blame when problems occur; it must decelerate, pull over, and stop by itself to minimize the risk.
04. New Car Market Access Process
Previously, many brands packaged L2 assistance as "full autonomous driving." The new regulation imposes hard constraints:
Automakers must clearly mark the system's capability boundaries, applicable road sections, and usage restrictions through manuals, in-car systems, and official websites. Ambiguous promotion and exaggerated claims will be penalized by regulators, and pseudo-autonomous driving products will be blocked directly at the access stage.
The safety file is a new concept. With a 17-page specification appendix, automakers must submit all risk analyses, simulation data, and road test results. OTA upgrades must also synchronously update the file, ensuring full traceability throughout the process.
Scan the code to add Xiaoyi@Smart Car Expert, join the group/business cooperation