China’s Equipment Industry Development Center under the MIIT recently issued a notice launching the 2026 nationwide safety hazard inspection campaign for new energy vehicles (NEVs). The notice requires all NEV manufacturers in China to conduct comprehensive safety inspections and complete the review process by Aug. 1, with formal reports to be submitted by Aug. 31. The move marks the first concrete regulatory action following the May 14 joint NEV safety management meeting held by the MIIT, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the National Fire and Rescue Administration. Notice on the 2026 nationwide safety hazard inspection campaign for new energy vehicles Compared with previous inspections that primarily focused on battery safety, this year’s review scope has expanded significantly. Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), extreme-weather operational risks, after-sales service, and accident reporting mechanisms have all been included as key regulatory priorities. Power battery systems remain the core focus of the inspection program. The notice requires automakers to work jointly with battery suppliers to assess safety risks under scenarios including collisions, flooding, structural deformation, abnormal voltage conditions, and insulation failures. Companies are also required to formulate rectification measures based on real-world vehicle usage conditions. Another major change is the formal inclusion of assisted-driving systems within system-level safety inspections. A car under assisted-driving condition According to the notice, companies must evaluate both “functional safety” and “safety of the intended functionality” for combined driving-assistance systems. This includes inspections related to sensor failures, decision-making systems, execution systems, insufficient functionality, and improper user operation. Over the past two years, China’s NEV market has expanded rapidly, while features such as urban NOA (Navigation on Autopilot) and highway navigation-assisted driving have become increasingly widespread. At the same time, related accidents and controversies have also risen. The document specifically requires companies to assess operational safety risks under extreme conditions including heavy rain, high humidity and severe cold weather. At the accident management level, regulatory requirements have also become notably stricter. An electric car in fire accident Under the new rules, automakers must submit initial reports within 24 hours following any NEV fire incident. If the accident involves fatalities or generates major social impact, reporting must be completed within 12 hours. Detailed accident information must be submitted within five days, while complete technical analysis reports must be uploaded within 15 days. The required reports cover not only accident causes, but also vehicle monitoring data, after-sales maintenance records, battery system structures and subsequent corrective measures. China’s total NEV fleet has now exceeded 40 million vehicles. As large numbers of early-generation EVs enter periods of higher mileage and battery degradation, regulatory focus is gradually shifting from “new vehicle market entry” toward “full lifecycle management.” Operational vehicles, high-frequency-use vehicles, long-term offline vehicles, and vehicles frequently triggering Level-3 warning alerts have all been identified as key inspection targets in the latest campaign.