China Automotive Engineering Research Institute (CAERI) has released the National Safety Standard for Intelligent Connected Vehicle Combined Driving Assistance Systems, establishing mandatory requirements for L2 ADAS across functional safety, SOTIF, and cybersecurity. The standard takes effect on October 1, 2026, marking China's entry into a regulated era of assisted driving oversight and providing a critical compliance foundation for export-bound models.
Core Standard Provisions
CAERI has officially released the National Safety Standard for Intelligent Connected Vehicle Combined Driving Assistance Systems, the first mandatory safety specification in China targeting L2 combined driving assistance. The standard covers three dimensions: functional safety, safety of the intended functionality (SOTIF), and cybersecurity, with quantified requirements for system activation conditions, human-machine interaction, disengagement warnings, and system degradation protocols.
For Chinese automakers exporting to Central Asia, Russia, and other markets, this national standard will serve as a critical foundation for product compliance certification. Target markets such as Russia are accelerating autonomous driving regulation development, and models with official Chinese certification will gain advantages in market access procedures.
Three Safety Dimension Requirements
- Functional Safety: Systems must maintain safe states under single-point failure scenarios such as sensor or controller malfunctions, with fault response times meeting millisecond-level requirements
- SOTIF: Identify and mitigate risks arising from performance limitations or human misuse, including edge cases like severe weather and faded road markings
- Cybersecurity: Specify encryption levels for in-vehicle communication systems and secure verification mechanisms for OTA updates to prevent remote hijacking of driving systems
The standard also mandates Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS) for L2 systems, requiring graded audio-visual warnings when driver attention deviates, escalating to forced disengagement of assisted driving mode.
Implementation Timeline and Industry Impact
| Phase | Timeline | Key Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Transition | Before October 2026 | New models must complete national standard testing and verification |
| Effective Date | October 1, 2026 | All new L2 models must pass certification |
| Retroactive | October 1, 2027 | In-market models must complete software upgrade compliance |
Implementation of this standard will directly eliminate suppliers with insufficient technical reserves, driving industry consolidation. According to Gaogong Intelligent Vehicle data, fewer than 15 Tier-1 suppliers currently possess complete L2 system safety verification capabilities in China, and the national standard will accelerate the exit of trailing firms.
Export Market Adaptation Recommendations
- Conduct pre-testing against the national standard early to ensure complete traceability of functional safety documentation
- Establish dual verification systems to address regulatory differences across target markets
- Build SOTIF scenario libraries covering typical road environments in target markets
CAERI has simultaneously launched mutual recognition negotiations with the UNECE regulatory framework, aiming to achieve equivalent recognition with European regulations and reduce redundant certification costs for Chinese automakers exporting to Europe. EX1000.COM will continue monitoring the overseas mutual recognition progress of this standard and its practical impact on export certification.
