Smart driving insurance countdown has begun. Beijing has taken the lead to launch it, initially applicable to new energy vehicles.

Last October, Zhang Ran (a pseudonym) bought a new energy vehicle equipped with advanced intelligent driving features. According to his recollection, on the day the car was delivered, the sales consultant specifically introduced the intelligent driving insurance that comes bundled with the vehicle: as long as an accident occurs while the intelligent driving system is in the enabled state, the manufacturer would cover it. However, half a year later, the use of this intelligent driving insurance has not been nearly as convenient as the salesperson said.

“On the highway, I often use the intelligent driving navigation feature. But once I enter urban roads, I almost never proactively turn on the intelligent driving feature.” Zhang Ran told a reporter from The Beijing News and Business Daily, “I’m not that I don’t believe in the technology—I’m just not sure that if something really happens, that intelligent driving insurance can actually cover it.”

You dare to use it in highway scenarios, but you don’t dare to use it in urban scenarios. You trust it at the technical level, but you don’t feel comfortable about it on the liability side. The root of this trust gap—people like Zhang Ran’s—lies in the absence of intelligent driving responsibility determination and risk protection mechanisms. Now, this situation is gradually improving.

According to a March 30 update on the website of the Beijing Regulatory Bureau of the State Financial Regulatory Administration, on March 29, the Beijing Financial Regulatory Bureau, during the 2026 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Conference “Major Achievements Special Session Release Meeting,” officially announced the launch of the commercial insurance development and application for intelligent connected new energy vehicles. The new product basically follows the existing new energy commercial auto insurance framework. Under the principles of “overall stability and partial optimization,” it mainly provides risk protection for specific intelligent driving scenarios, as well as losses of related soft and hard components, that consumers and automakers care about, and can be uniformly adapted to intelligent connected new energy vehicles across all levels from L2 to L4.

In the initial stage, priority will be given to specialized insurance products for new vehicles

“Existing auto insurance products define drivers primarily based on basic scenarios for human driving, so they cannot fully apply to human-machine co-driving or machine driving situations at the L3 and L4 levels. In addition, for L2 assisted-driving vehicles, after consumers buy a new car, some upgrade the assisted-driving system at their own expense, but existing auto insurance products do not cover these losses, so we need further optimization.” said a representative of the Beijing Financial Regulatory Bureau at the above-mentioned release meeting.

According to the reporter, the specialized insurance products for this commercial insurance for intelligent connected new energy vehicles are designed under the leadership of financial regulatory authorities. They have a genuine insurance license and an actuarial pricing foundation, making them compliant products included in the insurance regulatory system. Following the principle of “overall stability and partial optimization,” the new products optimize and upgrade the existing new energy vehicle insurance, further covering intelligent driving across all levels and scenarios.

Among them, for L2 assisted-driving vehicles, the specialized product in the initial stage mainly applies to new energy new vehicles. After a buyer purchases a new car in Beijing, they can independently choose whether to buy the specialized product or the existing auto insurance product. Under the principle of “rolling out in batches once they mature, and launching in batches,” the Beijing Automobile Insurance Industry Association will publish, in batches, the automakers and specific vehicle models to which the specialized products apply.

For L3 and L4 level automated driving vehicles, in Beijing, specialized products can be applied to vehicles that are tested in accordance with laws and regulations or that have obtained official permits to go on public roads. As operational data for specialized products and underwriting and claims experience accumulate, the scope will be gradually expanded.

Regarding the pricing of commercial insurance for intelligent connected new energy vehicles, the Beijing Financial Regulatory Bureau clearly stated that, compared with existing auto insurance products, the new product’s price will overall remain stable, and will be adjusted in an appropriate manner according to changes in coverage responsibilities. In the future, as experience data accumulates and technology advances, factors such as automakers’ intelligent driving technology capabilities will also be incorporated into the insurance pricing system for consideration.

On the market, “intelligent driving insurance” varies widely

In fact, more than 10 automakers currently use intelligent driving insurance forms to backstop intelligent assisted driving. For example, XPeng Motors offers its “Intelligent Assisted Driving Peace-of-Mind Service,” with a maximum payout amount of 1 million yuan. Covered scenarios include intelligent driving while driving and all parking scenarios, with a premium of 239 yuan per year.

However, to actually receive a payout, vehicle owners need to meet certain conditions. The reporter found that most automakers require that the car owner bears responsibility for the accident, and that the accident must be caused by the intelligent driving system in order to be eligible for compensation. One prominent judgment condition is whether, at the time of the accident, the intelligent driving system is in the enabled state.

In current L2 automated driving, drivers need to be ready at all times to take over the vehicle, making them the first party responsible for accidents. In L3, the main engine plant or the intelligent driving solution supplier is the responsibility subject for intelligent driving accidents. And currently, all intelligent driving systems sold domestically have not reached the L3 level. This also means that if users fail to follow the “User Manual,” which clearly emphasizes that drivers must remain vigilant about road conditions and be ready at any time to take over control of vehicle operations—such as “eyes-off/hands-off,” or failing to take over the vehicle in a timely manner—the claim will be rejected.

“At this stage, intelligent driving insurance is more like a backstop solution provided by an automaker or an intelligent driving solution supplier; it’s not truly an insurance product. In essence, it’s more like a corporate commitment. If a major accident occurs or the company’s ability to withstand pressure is insufficient, whether consumers can truly receive a payout remains uncertain.” a practitioner in the insurance industry told reporters.

Zhu Huarong, Chairman of China Changan, believes that during the transition stage from traditional driving to automated driving, insurance mechanisms have irreplaceable institutional value. They should be adaptively adjusted within the existing auto insurance framework to effectively cover risks, protect public interests, and support the development of the industry.