China has established mandatory national standards for intelligent and connected vehicles to ensure compliance with road traffic rules and safety requirements.
China’s market regulator and its standards body have issued GB 44721-2026, a national safety standard for self-driving systems in road vehicles, which takes effect on July 1, 20271.
The standard is titled "Intelligent and connected vehicle — Safety requirements for automated driving system"1. It was published on July 30, 2026, by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and the Standardization Administration of China1.
In short, from mid-2027 any vehicle sold in China with a Level 3 or Level 4 self-driving system must meet one set of national safety rules. Vehicles built abroad for the Chinese market fall under the same rules as those built in China.
Which vehicles does GB 44721-2026 cover?
The standard applies to vehicles in categories M and N that carry Level 3 (L3) or Level 4 (L4) automated driving systems2. China’s notice to the World Trade Organization (WTO) lists the goods under customs headings HS 8703 and 87042. Its standards class is ICS 43.0201.
The rules follow the driving system, not the brand or the factory. An imported model with an L3 or L4 system is caught in the same way as one made in China.
What is left out of the standard?
Automated parking systems are excluded2. A car whose only self-driving feature parks itself is therefore not caught by these rules.
Outside the standard
The notice also names only Level 3 and Level 4 systems2. Driver-assistance features below those levels are not mentioned in the scope.
What must self-driving systems prove?
The standard sets technical requirements for the automated driving system itself2. It also sets maintenance requirements, meaning what must be done to keep the system safe over the life of the vehicle2.
It also covers type approval, meaning the tests a model must pass before it can be sold2. The document describes how authorities will judge these points2. That includes checking the maintenance rules, reviewing a "safety case", which is the maker’s written argument that the system is safe, and running conformity tests on the vehicle2.
The full text runs to 61 pages and is in Chinese only2. China told the WTO that the aims are to protect human health and safety and to prevent deceptive practices that mislead consumers2.
For a foreign carmaker, this means a Chinese-language document must be read and met before a Level 3 or Level 4 model can enter the market. The safety case and test results become part of the paperwork for approval.
Who wrote and approved the standard?
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) is named as the department in charge of the standard1. MIIT is also the body that manages it day to day1. Publication was by SAMR and the Standardization Administration of China1.
China’s national standards register lists its status as "about to be implemented"1.
How did the draft reach the WTO?
China notified the draft to the WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade on March 16, 2026, under reference G/TBT/N/CHN/22312. This committee is where members warn each other of product rules that could affect trade.
The draft and the final standard
| Question | WTO draft | GB 44721-2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Notified March 16, 2026 | Published July 30, 2026 |
| Adoption date | To be determined | July 30, 2026 |
| Start date | Proposed July 1, 2027 | July 1, 2027 |
The notice gave other countries 60 days to comment, with a final date for comments of May 15, 20262. Comments went to China’s WTO/TBT National Notification and Enquiry Center2.
At that stage, the date of adoption was "to be determined"2. The proposed start date was already July 1, 20272. The final standard keeps that date1.
When must vehicles meet the new rules?
The standard was published on July 30, 2026, and applies from July 1, 20271. That leaves carmakers and importers about 11 months from publication to bring Level 3 and Level 4 models into line.
From draft to deadline
From that date, a self-driving car or truck under HS 8703 or 8704 must show it meets GB 44721-2026 through the tests and safety case the standard sets out. A model that has not done so has no route to the Chinese market under this standard.
Sources
- ↩ 国家标准|GB 44721-2026 https://openstd.samr.gov.cn/bzgk/std/newGbInfo?hcno=B86592BE40CD4694294CC5B254ACF651
- ↩ National Standard of the P.R.C., Intelligent and connected vehicle — Safety requirements for automated driving system https://docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/SS/directdoc.aspx?filename=Q:/G/TBTN26/CHN2231.pdf&Open=True