China Issues New National Standard for Vehicle Dimensions and Axle Loads, Effective July 2027

The State Administration for Market Regulation (National Standardization Administration) has recently approved and issued the mandatory national standard "Limits of Dimensions, Axle Load and Mass for Motor Vehicles, Trailers and Combination Vehicles" (GB 1589—2026). The standard specifies limits for the exterior dimensions, axle loads, and mass of vehicles, trailers, and vehicle combinations, and will take effect on July 1, 2027.

To adapt to intelligent connected vehicle technology, the standard adds exemption rules for the exterior dimensions of perception and communication components such as radar, cameras, and V2X antennas, relaxing limits on local protrusions to support blind-spot monitoring, autonomous driving environmental perception, vehicle-to-everything coordination, and beyond-line-of-sight safety communication. Regarding the rationality of axle load distribution for new energy commercial vehicles, the maximum allowable axle load for a single tire on one side of a single axle is raised from 7,000 kg to 8,000 kg, alleviating front-axle overloading caused by concentrated battery loads and providing greater design margin for axle load distribution and structural layout of new energy models.

To encourage innovation in energy-efficient vehicle designs, the standard introduces definitions for streamlined semi-trailer tractors and streamlined articulated vehicles, setting the length limit for streamlined articulated vehicles at 18.1 meters to accommodate low-drag, energy-efficient models. To facilitate container transport, the length limit for articulated vehicles carrying 45-foot containers is increased from 17.1 meters to 17.3 meters, while the maximum distance from the centerline of the corresponding semi-trailer kingpin to the rear end of the vehicle is standardized at 12.2 meters, improving the convenience of matching tractors and trailers and selecting three-axle tractors for container transport.

To ensure effective implementation, the standard provides a phased rollout. For vehicle models newly applying for type approval, the standard takes effect on July 1, 2027; for models already granted type approval, it takes effect on January 1, 2028.