China has released a mandatory national standard governing the safety of automated driving systems in intelligent connected vehicles. GB 44721-2026, Safety Requirements for Automated Driving Systems of Intelligent Connected Vehicles, was approved and issued on July 30, 2026, and takes effect on July 1, 2027. Developed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology under the jurisdiction of the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Standardization Administration of China, the standard sets a unified national safety baseline for Level 3 and Level 4 automated driving systems. Automakers and testing organizations working in China’s automated vehicle sector should begin preparing for compliance well ahead of the 2027 implementation date.
Why China Introduced This Standard
China’s autonomous driving technology has accelerated rapidly, with road testing and demonstration of intelligent connected vehicles steadily expanding. In 2025, two Level 3 vehicle models obtained conditional access permits in the country. To keep pace with this growth, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology directed the National Automotive Standardization Technical Committee to develop GB 44721-2026 starting in 2025, building out a standard system for the industry’s key and urgently needed technical requirements.
Scope: Which Vehicles and Automation Levels Are Covered
The standard applies to Class M and Class N vehicles equipped with Level 3 (conditional automated driving) and Level 4 (highly automated driving) systems. Automated parking systems are excluded from its scope.
Four Pillars of the New Safety Requirements
GB 44721-2026 builds a comprehensive safety requirements system around four core areas.
First, it establishes a lifecycle safety assurance mechanism, requiring vehicle manufacturers to build safety capabilities across product design, manufacturing, and post-deployment through safety policy, risk management, safety assurance, and safety improvement. Manufacturers must also conduct simulation, track, and road testing during research and verification to confirm testing resources meet requirements.
Second, the standard strengthens dynamic driving task execution, requiring automated driving systems to perform at least as safely as a qualified and focused human driver, without posing unreasonable risk to users or other road users. It sets safety requirements for dynamic driving tasks across various scenarios and specifies triggering and execution requirements for minimum risk strategies.
Third, it standardizes human-machine interaction and user notification to prevent misuse. Activation and deactivation processes must be safe, with clear notification standards for status signals such as ready, activated, and deactivated. Level 3 systems must also include driver takeover capability monitoring, and manufacturers must clearly communicate automation level, capability range, limitations, and control strategies to users through official websites, in-vehicle displays, and product manuals.
Fourth, the standard improves testing and inspection methods through a multi-dimensional system combining enterprise assurance capability testing, safety file testing, and confirmatory testing.
Third-party testing organizations will conduct confirmatory tests under related recommended national standards GB/T 41798, GB/T 44719, and GB/T 47025, using field tests, road tests, and simulation tests to verify system performance.
Alignment with the UN ADS GTR
The release of GB 44721-2026 follows the UN Global Technical Regulation on Automated Driving Systems (ADS GTR), which China spearheaded and which was officially approved in June 2026. China’s national standard sets more detailed technical requirements for Level 3 and Level 4 systems than the ADS GTR, clarifies safety boundaries more precisely, strengthens user information and training requirements, and introduces a unified standardized testing scenario system, while remaining consistent with the ADS GTR’s core technical requirements.
What This Means for Automakers and Testing Organizations
With implementation set for July 1, 2027, vehicle manufacturers producing Level 3 and Level 4 automated driving systems for the Chinese market should begin aligning their safety assurance processes, testing programs, and user communication materials with GB 44721-2026 now. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has indicated it will continue developing supporting standards, including testing methods and safety incident data exchange systems, as part of a broader regulatory framework for intelligent connected vehicles.
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Quick Country Facts
China
Certification Body: State Radio Regulatory Commission of PRC (SRRC)
Certification Type: Mandatory
License Validity: 60 Months
Application Language: Simplified Chinese
Legal License Holder: Manufacturer
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