GB 7258 is an important component of China’s national technical standards for the safety of power-driven vehicles. It is the most basic technical standard for the inspection of registration, in-use power-driven vehicles and power-driven vehicles and accident vehicles. It is also an important technical basis for China’s compulsory new vehicle type approval inspection, new vehicle delivery inspection, and imported-vehicle inspection.
This standard already had rules for minimum and maximum flux for low and high beam, including tolerance aiming (paragraph 8.5). Additional requirements are now included for lamp controls and telltales, which were covered previously in GB 4094.
The link to the documents can be found here, and ACEA members can have also the English translation.
This is for the moment just a public consultation started last month; the public-comment period ends on 1 January 2026.
After the consultation closes, the approval and finalization process is expected to take at least one or two months, and then the final publication is likely to take place around mid-2026.
For mandatory national standards, a transition period of at least one year is usually provided. Therefore, it is reasonable to anticipate that the compulsory implementation of the updated requirements would begin in the first half of 2027.
What is new for lighting is something not far from the new Euro-NCAP rating we covered some weeks ago, but under the GB standard it will be mandatory – not just a rating like Euro-NCAP. This could drive important vehicle hardware and software modifications, if the text is approved.
Graphic and Textual Symbols (Paragraph 4.8, emphasis added)
4.8.1 Cars (excluding three-wheeled cars and low-speed trucks with single-cylinder diesel engines) and motorcycles shall be equipped with control elements, indicators, and signaling devices with graphic symbols in accordance with GB 4094, GB/T 4094.2, and GB 15365, respectively. Symbols for vehicle brake system failure, high beam headlights, turn signal lights, front/rear position lights, front seat belt warning, automatic transmission gear position signal devices, and powertrain readiness signals shall always be displayed on the first layer of the instrument panel or display screen and shall not be replaced by symbols of other signaling devices. If the main lighting system switch is activated and the instrument panel backlighting changes significantly (either illuminating or dimming), the symbols for front/rear position lights may be omitted.
Lighting controls (paragraph 11.10.8)
11.10.8 Control components related to ensuring operational safety during vehicle driving (such as gear shift, lighting, horn, front windshield defrosting and demisting, front windshield wipers, window lifting, auxiliary braking devices, and activation of integrated driving assistance systems, etc.) should be equipped with physical control components. If the vehicle defaults the low beam, front position lights, and rear position lights to automatic control mode every time it is powered on or ignited, it is permissible for the low beam, front position lights, and rear position lights to be equipped only with virtual control components, and the virtual control components should always be located on the first layer of the display screen.
Note 1: Lights refer to the mandatory and manually operated lighting devices specified by GB4785, including low beams, high beams, front position lights, rear position lights, rear fog lights, turn signal lights, and hazard warning lights.
Note 2: Automatic control mode refers to the mode in which the corresponding lights can automatically turn on or off when the external lighting environment meets the threshold set by the manufacturer.
That means low beam and position lamp must be displayed at the first layer of the display. Rear fog lamp must be a physical button. Such a car as shown below would not be accepted anymore in China (low beam activation at second layer of display, and no physical button for rear fog):
