China Releases First Mandatory L3, L4 Safety Standard
China has published its first mandatory national safety standard for Level 3 (L3) and Level 4 (L4) autonomous driving systems, establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework for advanced self-driving vehicles. The standard, designated GB 44721-2026, was approved on July 30 by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Standardization Administration of China, and is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2027, according to Xinhua News.
A Landmark Regulatory Milestone
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which organized and led the standard’s development, announced that this represents China’s first mandatory national standard for L3 and L4 autonomous driving systems. It is a systematic upgrade from the 2024 recommended standard GB/T 44721-2024, transitioning from voluntary to mandatory compliance.
The standard applies to M-class (passenger) and N-class (commercial) vehicles equipped with L3 (Conditional Automation) and L4 (High Automation) autonomous driving systems, but does not cover automated parking systems. As IT之家 reported, the standard was drafted by 39 organizations, including the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC), BYD, NIO, Geely, Changan, Xiaomi Auto, XPeng, BMW (China), Mercedes-Benz (China), Volkswagen (China), Bosch, Horizon Robotics, and leading universities including Tsinghua University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Four-Pillar Safety Framework
The standard establishes a comprehensive four-pillar safety framework designed to address the full lifecycle of autonomous driving systems:
Enterprise full-lifecycle safety assurance mechanisms require vehicle manufacturers to establish safety policies, risk management protocols, safety assurance processes, and continuous improvement systems covering design, production, and post-deployment operations.
Dynamic driving task execution capabilities mandate that autonomous driving systems achieve a safety level at least equal to a qualified and attentive human driver, while ensuring no unreasonable safety risks to users or other road users.
Human-machine interaction and user notification requirements specify safe activation and deactivation procedures, with L3 systems required to include driver takeover capability monitoring. The standard also mandates that manufacturers clearly communicate driving automation levels, capability boundaries, limitations, and control strategies to users through multiple channels.
Multi-dimensional testing and inspection methods combine enterprise capability inspection, safety case inspection, and confirmation testing using simulation, proving ground, and road testing approaches.
Key Technical Requirements
Under the standard, L3 systems must provide at least 10 seconds of advance warning before requiring driver intervention. If the driver fails to respond, the system must trigger a Minimum Risk Maneuver (MRM) that brings the vehicle to a safe stop at the roadside. L3 systems must also monitor driver takeover capability using at least two effective indicators, such as eye movement, head movement, or specific human-machine interaction actions, confirmed within the past 30 seconds.
For L4 systems, the standard requires global path planning capability within the operational design domain, including lane cruising, lane changing, and obstacle avoidance on highways, plus intersection crossing, reversing, and U-turn capabilities on urban roads. L4 systems must detect and respond to priority vehicles such as police cars, fire engines, and ambulances. Remote assistance is permitted but autonomous driving systems must not depend on it for dynamic driving task execution.
Vehicle manufacturers must establish comprehensive safety case (安全档案) systems covering the full product lifecycle, with structured argumentation consisting of claims, arguments, and evidence. Some functions must meet ASIL-D (Automotive Safety Integrity Level D) standards, allowing no more than 10 failures per billion hours of operation.
Industry Reaction
Industry leaders have welcomed the standard as a critical step toward establishing a mature autonomous driving industry in China. Cui Dongshu, Secretary-General of the Passenger Car Market Information Joint Sub-committee of the China Automobile Dealers Association, told Xinhua News that this is “the first mandatory national standard for L3 and L4 autonomous driving in China, marking the transition of high-level intelligent driving from concept marketing to rigid safety regulation.”
Ji Xuehong, Director of the Automotive Industry Innovation Research Center at North China University of Technology, noted that the standard provides clear reference for L3 implementation regarding admission and liability determination. The standard clarifies that accidents caused by the vehicle within the system’s operational design domain are the responsibility of the vehicle manufacturer, while accidents occurring when the driver fails to take over within 10 seconds after the takeover reminder are the responsibility of the driver.
Gu Gongyao, Vice President of Momenta, said the standard establishes a unified safety admission baseline for autonomous driving products, which is significant for consolidating enterprises’ safety responsibility and standardizing autonomous driving technology research and development. A Pony.ai spokesperson added that the standard marks China’s L4 autonomous driving officially entering a new stage of “scaled admission” under the rule of law.
Alignment with Global Regulations
The standard incorporates core technical requirements from the United Nations Global Technical Regulation on Automated Driving Systems (ADS GTR), which was officially approved in June 2026 with China as co-lead. As China Daily reported, the ADS GTR is the world’s first harmonized technical regulation covering the full life cycle of L3 and L4 automated driving systems, jointly led by China, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Japan.
An Tiecheng, Chairman of CATARC, described the ADS GTR as “a landmark achievement in the evolution of the global automotive industry,” noting that it establishes a unified benchmark for market access across different jurisdictions. Li Jun, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, observed that the three major global autonomous driving safety regulatory systems (UN/WP.29, US federal regulations, and Chinese national standards) are showing unprecedented structural convergence.
What to Watch For
With the standard scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2027, automakers and technology companies have just under a year to ensure compliance. The MIIT has indicated it will continue developing supporting standards for testing methods, safety event data exchange, and management systems. The release of this standard positions China at the forefront of global autonomous driving regulation, potentially accelerating the deployment of L3 and L4 vehicles both domestically and internationally.
As EqualOcean noted, the alignment between China’s domestic standards and international regulations means Chinese companies that comply at home will likely find it easier to demonstrate equivalence abroad. The question now is how quickly the industry can adapt to these new requirements and bring truly safe, compliant autonomous driving systems to market.