Three Mandatory National Standards Take Effect July 1 to Enhance New Energy Vehicle Safety

Starting July 1, 2024, China has officially implemented three mandatory national standards: "Safety Requirements for Electric Vehicles" (GB 18384-2025), "Safety Requirements for Traction Batteries Used in Electric Vehicles" (GB 38031-2025), and "Occupant Protection in Side-Impact Collisions for Motor Vehicles." The new standards require electric vehicles to physically disconnect the high-voltage circuit in the event of a crash. For the first time, they explicitly define the one-button power cutoff device as a physical disconnection mechanism, replacing the previous software-controlled method to enhance the reliability and timeliness of emergency rescue operations. Regarding traction battery safety, the updated national standards specify more detailed test conditions—including battery temperature, power-on/power-off status, observation duration, and vehicle-level test environment—strengthen thermal runaway propagation test requirements, introduce new bottom-impact tests and post-fast-charging-cycle safety evaluations, refine insulation resistance requirements, and raise the bar for crush testing. The standard for "Occupant Protection in Side-Impact Collisions for Motor Vehicles" has been significantly tightened: the mass of the moving deformable barrier used in side-impact tests has increased from 950 kg to 1,400 kg, marking the most stringent upgrade in nearly two decades. With these standards now in force, vehicle safety performance will become a fundamental requirement for new model approvals, exerting broad impacts on automakers’ R&D strategies, consumer purchasing decisions, energy infrastructure development, circular economy initiatives, and the advancement of intelligent and connected vehicles. Concurrently, multiple supportive policies are being rolled out, including the promotion of new energy vehicles in rural areas, new regulations for the automotive aftermarket, pilot reforms in vehicle distribution and consumption, and fresh rounds of regional automotive consumption vouchers and subsidies.