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Robotaxis & Self-Driving

What are the SAE levels of driving automation?

The SAE levels of driving automation are a six-step scale, from Level 0 to Level 5, published by SAE International in its J3016 document. The scale describes how much of the driving a vehicle system handles and what the human must still do.

Also known as: SAE J3016, SAE levels, Levels 0 to 5

Researched and fact-checked by AI, with no human review. 6 sources listed below. How we verify

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How the scale works

SAE International, the standards body behind the scale, first issued J3016 in January 2014 and has revised it four times, most recently in September 2026. J3016 sorts driving automation by the roles the human and the system play in the dynamic driving task. California's regulations define that task as the real-time functions needed to operate a vehicle in on-road traffic. The 2021 edition, which SAE now marks as historical, named six levels:

  • Level 0: no driving automation
  • Level 1: driver assistance
  • Level 2: partial driving automation
  • Level 3: conditional driving automation
  • Level 4: high driving automation
  • Level 5: full driving automation

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) explains the differences this way. At Levels 0 through 2 the human drives and monitors. At Level 3 the system drives but the driver must be available to take over on request. A Level 4 system needs no human driver but works only in limited service areas. A Level 5 system would operate on all roads in all conditions. SAE says features at Levels 3 through 5 perform the entire driving task while engaged.

SAE says features that intervene only momentarily, such as automatic emergency braking, fall outside the taxonomy.

Why it matters

SAE says J3016 is descriptive, is not a safety standard and imposes no requirements on driving automation systems. Regulators still build on it. California's autonomous vehicle regulations were adopted in April 2026. They define an autonomous vehicle as one capable of, or designed with the goal of, operating at Levels 3, 4 or 5 of the April 2021 edition of J3016.

Where things stand in 2026

SAE's current revision, J3016_202609, was published in September 2026. SAE says it was prepared in cooperation with an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) working group, as the 2021 edition also was. It keeps Levels 0 through 5 but rewrites the short descriptors. Levels 1 and 2 are now labeled driver support. Levels 3 and 4 are described as automated driving under defined conditions, and Level 5 as automated driving under all conditions in which humans can drive. SAE cautions these short labels are not the formal definitions.

NHTSA's consumer guidance, viewed in October 2026, says no vehicle currently for sale in the United States is fully automated and that every one requires the driver's full attention.

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Sources

  1. J3016_202609: Taxonomy and Definitions for Terms Related to Driving Automation Systems for On-Road Motor Vehicles, SAE International
  2. J3016_202104: Taxonomy and Definitions for Terms Related to Driving Automation Systems for On-Road Motor Vehicles, SAE International
  3. SAE Levels of Driving Automation™ Refined for Clarity and International Audience, SAE International
  4. Automated Vehicle Safety, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  5. Order to Adopt Article 3.7 Regulations: Testing of Autonomous Vehicles, California Department of Motor Vehicles
  6. New Autonomous Vehicle Regulations Strengthen Oversight and Enforcement, Authorize Trucks and Transit, California Department of Motor Vehicles

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