China Sets January 2028 Date for Turquoise Autonomous-Driving Light Rules

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has proposed a mandatory national standard that would legalise turquoise automated-driving marker lights from January 1, 2028, ending more than a year of regulatory uncertainty over what the industry calls "little blue lights."

The draft, opened for public consultation on Tuesday as part of a package of five mandatory national standards, restricts the lights to vehicles equipped with Level 3 or higher automated driving systems (ADS). Level 3 denotes systems where the car handles driving tasks in defined conditions while the driver stands by to intervene. Installation remains optional rather than mandatory for eligible vehicles. The consultation closes on December 19.

What does the standard change for automakers?

It gives OEMs and their Tier 1 lighting suppliers a fixed colour, placement and operating specification where none existed. The draft designates turquoise as the dedicated colour for ADS marker lights and permits installation at the front, rear and sides of the vehicle. The lights must switch on automatically when Level 3 or higher automation engages and switch off when the system disengages — manual activation or deactivation would be prohibited.

That framework directly addresses the disruption of July, when reports circulated that MIIT had ordered passenger vehicles to stop being fitted with "little blue lights" because they failed to comply with the existing GB 4785 lighting standard. Yicai cited an automaker insider at the time saying newly certified models had been barred from using such lights since July 27. MIIT issued no public document on the matter, leaving suppliers and OEMs without formal guidance.

Several automakers had already fitted external lights to signal when driver-assistance systems operate, but the absence of uniform rules on colour, brightness and placement raised compliance risk across programs.

Broader restrictions in the draft

Beyond ADS marker lights, the proposal tightens rules on what exterior lighting can display and how it is controlled:

• Lights, except illuminated logos, may not display text or form expressive human faces, animal faces or other anthropomorphic patterns.
• Gesture control would be banned for specified categories of lights, and voice commands could not switch them off. Where a voice command switches a light on, the vehicle must indicate the location of the corresponding manual switch.
• Turn signals and reversing lights could not be reciprocally incorporated with brake lights or rear fog lamps.
• Variable-intensity signal lights must adjust brightness across the entire lamp rather than by switching individual light sources on or off.

Timing and transition

The accompanying explanatory document recommends the standard take effect on January 1, 2028. Transition periods would vary by technical provision and by whether a vehicle model has already received type approval (China's certification process confirming a model meets national requirements). Some provisions would allow up to 48 months of transition — meaning certain requirements could remain in force for existing models into 2032.

The proposals remain open for public comment, and final provisions and implementation arrangements have not been determined. automakers and lighting suppliers with China-market programs now face a fixed design target but no confirmed rulebook until the consultation closes.

What to watch next: the close of consultation on December 19, MIIT's final text, and whether the July enforcement against non-compliant "little blue lights" holds in the interim before the 2028 effective date.