Cars In China No Longer Mandatory To Have Mechanical Steering Connections In 2026

The Nio ET9 car already uses the steering by wire feature. (Photo: Nio)

JAKARTA The Chinese government has set a new regulation that removes the mandatory mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the front wheel of the vehicle. This policy is an important milestone for the automotive industry there, and will take effect July 1, 2026.

Launching from Carnewschina, Wednesday, December 3, this opens the use of a fully electronic steering system or steering by wire. Instead of using the steering rod, this system uses sensors to detect steering movements and transmit electric signals to electric motors that drive wheels.

This decision was announced through the latest national standards governing the vehicle steering system. In this regulation, manufacturers are now allowed to use a fully bywire steering system without providing a backup mechanical path.

The government also added stricter safety requirements, ranging from component redundancy, power monitoring, to testing procedures in the event of a system failure. A number of large companies were noted to be involved in the preparation of this standard, including Nio, BYD, Xpeng, and Geely.

In addition, several international manufacturers and automotive technology companies operating in China also provided input during the formulation process. In terms of implementation, several vehicle models actually already use Steer by wire technology, such as Nio ET9, Infiniti Q50, IM L6, and Tesla Cybertruck.

However, Nio ET9 is known as China's first mass production car to use a full electronic steering system without mechanical reserves. With regulations now clearer, industry players expect more and more manufacturers to adopt electronic steering configurations in the next few years.