Has One-Pedal Driving Been Banned in China?

New regulations are being introduced in China to prohibit one-pedal driving in a vehicle’s default state. 

One-pedal driving is a form of regenerative braking most commonly found in battery electric vehicles (BEVs), allowing the vehicle to slow down and sometimes come to a stop while recovering lost kinetic energy to recharge the battery. This improves efficiency and reduces brake wear, as the electric motors do most of the work when slowing the car down. 

This feature can be found on electrified products from such manufacturers as GWM, Tesla, Hyundai and Zeekr.

The new standard relates to passenger car braking systems, and amends the previous regulations which came into effect in 2008. 

The new regulations set to prohibit single pedal modes that allow the vehicle to be brought to a complete stop as a default, meaning that the brake pedal must be used to stop the car. 

However, this does not necessarily mean that one-pedal driving has been banned completely in China, with drivers still able to select it as an optional mode. However, this mode must be selected by the driver each time the vehicle is started. 

When regenerative braking is not in its default mode, a notification must also be displayed to the driver. 

The new regulation seeks to ensure that one-pedal driving modes don't change the braking habits of drivers, such as delayed reaction times or not applying the brake pedal properly during an emergency situation.  

The new regulations will almost certainly impact vehicles such as the Tesla Model Y – which was the best selling car in China in 2024 – in which one-pedal driving is the default. 

Furthermore, given the fact that electrified vehicles are able to slow down significantly during energy recovery, the new regulations stipulate that the brake lights must activate during regeneration greater than 1.3m/s². 

Additionally, the new regulations also mandates ABS for new passenger vehicles. 

The new regulations come into effect for new vehicles receiving type approvals – in other words, vehicle certification in China – on January 1st, 2026, with the single pedal driving regulations, along with mandates for models that have previously received type approval, coming into effect on January 1st, 2027.