In a bid to improve EV safety, China is taking a step further with more strict battery regulations designed to minimise fire and explosion risk. More than half of new vehicle sales in the country, that is, those which use electric vehicle (EV) or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) batteries, are in for a new set of technical standards, which comes from Monday’s announcement by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
The new standards, due to be adopted in July 2026, are intended to prevent ‘thermal runaway’ — a chain reaction in a battery that could spark up a fire or an explosion. The new rule will require automakers to see that their EV batteries are tougher to ENSURE that they can pass more aggressive crash tests, in addition to new rules for crash impacts and fast charging tolerance. Safety: one of the key requirements is for batteries to not catch fire or explode in a certain amount of time, which significantly improves how safe drivers, passengers and nearby properties will be.
The new rules are designed to update the existing 2020 guidelines, which already mandate EVs to give at least a five-minute warning before a battery fire. It is a major move to toughen safety in the fast-growing new energy vehicle (NEV) market, covering both fully electric and plug-in hybrid models.
Over the last few years, China’s NEV market has been on fire, with sales often outpacing traditional gasoline-powered vehicles on a monthly basis. Governments did not expect the surge in popularity — when 20% NEV market share in 2025 was an initial target, which was revised in 2020 to more than 50% by 2035. China has emerged as a leader in EV adoption, thanks to government incentives and industry backing, something new regulations are aimed at keeping up with.
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