Policy / Industry
China has 90 connected-car standards, but 220 million test kilometres are not a commercial launch
New figures from the 2026 World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference show a much larger testing and standards system. They also reveal why test scale, L2 installation and limited L3 trials must be read as three different milestones.
Media-based report · see original reporting below
Key points
- China has published 90 connected-vehicle standards and issued plans for 62 more projects.
- Public test roads total 57,000 km and accumulated testing exceeds 220 million km; this remains supervised testing rather than unrestricted deployment.
- L2 driver-assistance penetration in new passenger cars is above 70%, while the first L3 vehicles are only in access and road trials in specified areas.
Reported details
China has disclosed a new snapshot of its connected-vehicle rulebook and testing network during the 2026 World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference in Beijing. According to figures reported from the meeting, 90 relevant standards have been published and project plans have been issued for another 62. The same update says 17 national test demonstration zones and 20 vehicle-road-cloud pilot cities are in operation.
The physical test network is now substantial: more than 20,000 test demonstration licences have been issued, 57,000 km of roads have been opened for testing, and accumulated test mileage has passed 220 million km. An official conference report from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also says more than 60,000 intelligent roadside devices have been deployed. These figures describe infrastructure and supervised validation capacity; they do not mean autonomous driving is generally permitted on every one of those roads.
On vehicles sold to consumers, the ministry said more than 70% of new passenger cars now carry Level 2 combined driver-assistance functions. Level 2 still requires the driver to remain responsible and ready to take control. The first Level 3 conditionally automated vehicles have entered access and road trials only in specified areas, a narrower step governed by operating conditions, approved vehicles and designated locations.
The next phase described by officials combines technology work with tighter governance. The ministry plans to promote large-scale demonstrations in selected scenarios, continue the vehicle-road-cloud pilots, implement mandatory national standards for driving assistance and develop rules for operational monitoring and data security. The conference itself ran from 21 to 23 October and was jointly hosted by the industry, transport and Beijing authorities.
Editorial interpretation
For buyers, the headline penetration rate should not be read as evidence that every L2 system offers the same capability. Sensor suites, mapped coverage, driver monitoring, software versions and the conditions under which functions can be activated differ by model. Comparing cars still requires checking the exact trim and owner manual, rather than treating the L2 label as a uniform product specification.
The more consequential change is the move from isolated pilots toward a national framework that links product standards, road testing, infrastructure and post-launch monitoring. Progress will be measurable when mandatory rules are implemented consistently and limited L3 trials produce transparent safety and operating data. Until then, the 90 standards and 220 million test kilometres are evidence of institutional scale, not proof of universal commercial autonomy.
What it means
The figures were disclosed around the 2026 World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference. This article separates standards already published, projects planned, supervised testing and limited vehicle-access trials.
Original reporting and attribution
IT Home, reporting conference figures ↗Source publication date: