BYD Confirms Full Compensation for First Urban NOA Incident

On May 28, 2026, BYD announced a one-year "City NOA Safety Guarantee" service for all users equipped with the "God’s Eye" A or B version systems. Under this service, if a liable traffic accident occurs during compliant use of the CNOA (City Navigation on Autopilot) urban navigation feature, BYD will fully cover—without any upper limit—all direct economic losses borne by the vehicle owner, including vehicle repairs, third-party property damage, and personal injury costs. This coverage will not affect the policyholder’s commercial auto insurance premium in the following year. The next day (May 29), in the evening, a Shenzhen-based owner of a Denza Z9 GT Flash Charge Edition was involved in a minor collision with the vehicle ahead while using the CNOA urban navigation driver-assistance function. At the time of the incident, the system did not initiate emergency evasive maneuvers, and the driver took over by applying the brakes during impact. The vehicle had already received an OTA update to the God’s Eye 5.0 system, and the owner had previously completed required driver-assistance knowledge training and passed an exam via the BYD app, thereby qualifying for the CNOA Safety Guarantee under the program’s prerequisites. Following the accident, the owner promptly filed claims with both their insurer and BYD’s official channels and delivered the vehicle to a 4S store for technical inspection. By the afternoon of May 30, BYD had completed its investigation, confirmed that the incident occurred during compliant use of the City NOA function, determined it fell within the guarantee scope, and decided to fully reimburse all direct economic losses—including paint protection film (PPF) damage. The entire process—from accident occurrence to payout confirmation—took less than 24 hours. This marks the first case in China where an automaker has assumed financial liability for an accident involving L2-level advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). BYD’s City NOA Safety Guarantee applies exclusively to the CNOA function and does not extend to other ADAS modes such as ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), ICC (Integrated Cruise Control), or HNOA (Highway Navigation on Autopilot). It also cannot replace mandatory traffic accident liability insurance (compulsory third-party insurance) or commercial auto insurance. Users must complete relevant training and pass an assessment via the BYD app before first activating the feature. Under current regulations, L2-level driver assistance is still classified as “human-machine co-driving,” with the driver remaining the primary responsible party. Although regulators have mandated automakers to standardize marketing language, users continue to face challenges in clearly defining liability and obtaining insurance payouts in real-world scenarios. Following the launch of its Intelligent Parking Safety Guarantee in July 2025, BYD has now expanded its safety net to urban navigation scenarios, aiming to lower user adoption barriers through rapid liability determination and streamlined compensation mechanisms. Industry experts note that this model relies heavily on the automaker’s own technical judgment capabilities, and its long-term viability—as well as cost risks under large-scale accident scenarios—remains to be seen. They also emphasize that driver-assistance systems have inherent technological limitations, and drivers must remain attentive and ready to take control at all times.