SAE/J3016

• SAE J3016 Levels of Driving Automation

  • The standard that sorts self-driving cars into six levels, from 0 (no automation) to 5 (drives anywhere with no human). Regulators, carmakers and the press use these levels to describe what a car can do on its own.

  • Scope

    • The levels describe the driving automation system, not the car. One car can run at Level 2 on city streets and Level 3 in a highway traffic jam.
    • The key line falls between Level 2 and Level 3. Through Level 2 the human is driving and must watch the road at all times. From Level 3 up the system is driving while it is engaged.

  • Maintainer

    • SAE International, jointly with ISO as ISO/SAE PAS 22736. The current revision is April 2021.

  • The levels

    • SAE/J3016/Level 0 — No driving automation
    • SAE/J3016/Level 1 — Driver assistance
    • SAE/J3016/Level 2 — Partial automation
    • SAE/J3016/Level 3 — Conditional automation
    • SAE/J3016/Level 4 — High automation
    • SAE/J3016/Level 5 — Full automation