New EV National Standard Enforced: Buyers Must Verify Three Battery Safety Details

The new national standard "Safety Requirements for Traction Batteries Used in Electric Vehicles" (GB 38031-2025) has officially taken effect, upgrading the mandatory safety requirements for power batteries from the previous "alarm and allow evacuation within five minutes" to a stricter standard of "no fire and no explosion." Consumers can verify compliance through three steps when purchasing a vehicle: first, ensure the purchase contract explicitly states that the vehicle’s power battery complies with this new national standard; second, upon vehicle delivery, check whether the "Certificate of Conformity for Motor Vehicle Whole Vehicle" or the "Vehicle Conformity Certificate" indicates compliance with this standard; third, if doubts remain about battery compliance, consumers may verify through official channels of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) or the brand’s customer service hotline. The new standard includes a one-year transition period. Existing models that have already received type approval may continue to be sold until June 30, 2027. However, vehicles produced after this date are not automatically compliant with the new standard—consumers should rely on the execution standard indicated on the vehicle’s Certificate of Conformity as the definitive reference.