China publishes a mandatory safety standard for L3 and L4 driving

A national safety baseline for higher-level automation

China has published GB 44721–2026, a mandatory national standard for the safety of L3 and L4 automated-driving systems. MIIT's official notice says it was approved on July 30, 2026 and is scheduled for implementation on July 1, 2027. The scope covers relevant M- and N-category vehicles, broadly passenger and freight vehicles, while excluding automated parking systems.

TechNode's September report brought the standard to an English-speaking audience. The official notice makes clear that publication predates that report, an important distinction when following implementation dates.

The requirements extend beyond the driving model

MIIT describes requirements for manufacturers' safety assurance over the product lifecycle, the execution of driving tasks, human-machine interaction and information given to users. The framework includes simulation, closed-course and road testing. For L3 systems, the notice specifically addresses monitoring whether a driver can take over.

These requirements make the handoff between the vehicle and a person part of the safety case. A system that performs well while active still needs an understandable way to enter and leave operation. Users need to know when they are responsible for driving and what the system cannot do.

A vehicle's marketing name is not enough to communicate those boundaries. A useful description needs to identify where the function operates, what conditions can end its availability and what the person inside the vehicle must do next. Those questions concern the complete driving system, not only its underlying AI model.

Testing addresses different kinds of evidence

A road test can expose a vehicle to real traffic, while a controlled setting can repeat a particular scenario. Simulation can examine situations that would be difficult or unsafe to recreate physically. These forms of evidence answer different questions; a large total of test kilometers is not automatically a substitute for coverage of the situations a system must handle.

The standard's announced assessment structure combines examination of company capabilities and safety documentation with confirmatory testing. The practical consequence is that an automaker must be able to explain the system and its validation process, rather than rely solely on a demonstration of successful driving.

The ministry names the tests supporting verification

MIIT identifies three companion recommended standards for confirmatory testing: GB/T 41798 for closed-course tests, GB/T 44719 for road tests and GB/T 47025 for simulation. Third-party testing is combined with review of the manufacturer's safety-assurance capability and safety documentation. The mandatory system standard and those supporting test-method documents have different functions.

The notice also requires a minimum-risk strategy and says the system's safety should at least match a qualified, attentive driver performing the driving task. It organizes manufacturer responsibility around safety policy, risk management, assurance and improvement across design, production and deployment. Deployment therefore does not end the manufacturer's stated safety obligations.

What publication means for commercialization

A national standard establishes a reference for evaluation. It does not grant every vehicle carrying an automated-driving feature permission to operate without restrictions, nor does it make a lower-level driver-assistance product an L3 or L4 system.

For a company entering the market, the next task is to map the full standard to the particular vehicle, software version and intended operating conditions. Overseas readers should track product approvals and operating permissions separately from this national publication. Those later decisions will show how the framework is applied to individual vehicles and services as the July 2027 implementation date approaches.