China introduces 1st mandatory safety standards for autonomous vehicles

China on Tuesday unveiled its maiden mandatory national safety standards for advanced autonomous vehicles, set to take effect next year, state media reported.

According to the Industry and Information Technology Ministry, the new rules on safety requirements for automated driving systems of intelligent connected vehicles will take effect next July, state-run China Daily reported.

The new standards require automakers to build end-to-end safety systems before deploying Level 3 and Level 4 self-driving technologies on roads.

Automakers will also be required to establish full-lifecycle safety management covering vehicle design, development, manufacturing, and post-deployment operation.

Companies will be bound to implement risk management systems, conduct simulation tests, closed-course testing, and real-world road trials before deploying autonomous driving functions.

Beijing's move comes amid a race between global automakers and tech companies to bring autonomous driving from testing grounds into everyday transportation.

China granted conditional access approval to two Level 3 autonomous driving vehicle models in 2025, marking an early step toward broader commercial deployment.

For those vehicles, manufacturers must equip systems with the ability to monitor whether drivers are ready and able to take over when required.

Also, manufacturers must clearly inform users about the vehicle's automation level, operational boundaries, limitations and responsibilities through user manuals, websites, and in-vehicle displays.