China has published 88 mandatory national standards directly tied to vehicle safety, part of a broader push by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) to raise technical and quality benchmarks across the auto sector. The move accompanies record production and sales in 2025, when China made 34.53 million vehicles and sold 34.40 million, with new energy vehicles (NEVs) accounting for more than 16 million units and 47.9% of new-car sales. MIIT framed the standards as essential to promoting technological progress, normalizing market order, and strengthening consumer protection as the industry transitions rapidly toward electrification and driving automation.
Among the most consequential changes is a tightened safety requirement for power batteries: the standard for thermal events has shifted from a regulatory expectation of issuing an alarm within five minutes to a performance baseline described as “no fire, no explosion.” That raises the bar on cell chemistry, battery management systems, thermal containment and structural design, and will require manufacturers to demonstrate that packs can withstand severe abuse or failure modes without catastrophic outcomes. The ministry also revised and published mandatory standards for electric vehicles more broadly, including safety requirements for battery systems.
The MIIT has also set mandatory standards for intelligent and connected vehicle systems. New rules cover light-vehicle automatic emergency braking (AEB) and in-vehicle accident emergency call systems (eCall), standardizing the minimum capabilities for collision avoidance and post-crash response. At the same time, revisions to passenger-car braking systems and even components such as door handles signal regulators’ intent to close loopholes created by novel designs and to accelerate baseline standards for combined driver-assistance systems, automated-driving subsystems and parking assistance.
For manufacturers and suppliers, the package will have immediate engineering and compliance implications. Large incumbents and vertically integrated firms that already invest heavily in battery safety, software validation and systems engineering are best placed to absorb higher testing and redesign costs, while smaller start-ups and niche suppliers may face steeper barriers to market entry. Firms aiming to export Chinese-made NEVs will also need to navigate a widening field of overlapping domestic and international rules, potentially adjusting products to meet multiple regulatory regimes.
From a policy perspective, the standards reflect Beijing’s twin priorities of “high-quality development” and “high-level safety.” By codifying technical expectations for batteries and automation, the state aims to shore up consumer confidence after several high-profile battery-fire incidents and to tame the rapid feature proliferation in advanced driver assistance and autonomous driving. The next phase of standard-setting will focus on driving automation, crashworthiness and control components, areas where regulatory detail will determine how quickly and safely more sophisticated automated functions are deployed on public roads.
The practical test will be enforcement and international alignment. If China enforces the standards rigorously, it can raise safety baselines for millions of vehicles and export a model of regulatory-driven technological maturity. If enforcement is uneven, however, tighter rules risk becoming paperwork unless accompanied by testing capacity, independent certification and clear recall regimes. Either way, the new standards will shape product roadmaps, supplier dynamics and the global competitiveness of China’s EV and autonomy ecosystem over the coming years.