by GE Cheng

China has issued a draft rule requiring electric and hybrid passenger cars to default to 0–100 kph times of at least five seconds, as authorities seek to cool the sector's acceleration race and shift attention toward safety and quality.

The proposal is part of a draft revision of the Safety Specifications for Power-driven Vehicles Operating on Roads, released by the Ministry of Public Security, and would still allow drivers to switch into high-performance modes. Vehicles, however, would need to start in a reduced-power setting — a requirement that has stirred debate across the EV industry.

For much of the combustion-engine era, acceleration separated mass-market cars from high-performance models. Vehicles such as the Lamborghini Urus and Audi RS6, both capable of reaching 100 kph in roughly 3.4 seconds, relied on complex engineering and price tags exceeding RMB 1.4 million (about US$200,000).

Electric drivetrains have overturned that hierarchy. Instant torque has pushed supercar-level acceleration into the mass market. A Tesla Model 3 Performance reaches 3.1 seconds, while entry-level EVs like the BYD Dolphin routinely deliver sub-10-second runs.

Chinese EV makers have leaned heavily on performance marketing. Zeekr's 001 FR advertises 2.02 seconds, and Xiaomi's SU7 Ultra claims 1.97 seconds — figures once associated with track-only cars. LI Yanwei, an advisor to the China Automobile Dealers Association, told Jiemian News that the shift has "erased the traditional performance hierarchy," giving mid-priced EVs capabilities once limited to luxury combustion models. But the gains also demand greater driver skill.

A vehicle-testing engineer said many drivers underestimate how abruptly power is delivered. Even minor steering or wheel-alignment issues can cause fishtailing or spins under full acceleration, he said, noting that test tracks keep personnel far from such runs — conditions that cannot be replicated on public roads. Incidents involving unintended acceleration in pure-electric and plug-in hybrids have increased, often tied to misuse of performance modes.

Luxury automakers such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW offer professional driver training for high-performance owners, but most Chinese EV newcomers lack comparable programs. Huawei executive YU Chengdong has also criticized carmakers' preoccupation with "two-second and three-second" acceleration figures, arguing that safety should take precedence.

Analysts say the draft rule aims to temper an acceleration race driven by headline numbers rather than real-world needs. Regulators want manufacturers to shift investment toward intelligent safety features, range efficiency and overall user experience, instead of chasing ever-quicker sprint times.

Compliance would require no hardware changes. The target can be achieved simply by adjusting software settings — such as lowering default power output, modifying torque delivery and altering throttle-response mapping — and many EVs already offer driving modes that limit performance for everyday use.

If adopted, the measure could reshape competition in the world's largest EV market by making default performance less central and elevating safety, reliability and software sophistication as core differentiators. It also aligns with a broader regulatory push: China has introduced several tighter EV standards this year, covering battery protection, door-handle safety and other long-standing gaps.