Understanding the Six Levels of Automation

ADAS vs. ADS

It can be confusing to understand what qualifies as an "autonomous vehicle," particularly since many personal cars and trucks now have advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). These technologies are vastly different from vehicles equipped with autonomous driving systems (ADS), where passengers do not operate the vehicle. 

To help consumers and manufacturers navigate this new AV world, federal officials developed a classification system for defining autonomous vehicles (AVs), ranging from completely manual to completely self-driving. 

To learn more about these levels, and the current state of autonomous vehicle technology, read on.

Levels 0-2: “Driver Support Systems”

In these levels, even if some support technology is running, the human is fully the driver and must constantly be operating the car and available to take full driving control.

Level 0: No Driving Automation

• A completely manually controlled vehicle. The human driver does all the driving and is fully operating the vehicle controls. 
• This level applies to the majority of vehicles on the road today, although they may have limited systems in place to assist the driver momentarily or provide a warning, such as an emergency-braking alert, forward-collision warning, or lane-departure warnings.

Level 1: Driver Assistance 

• This is the lowest rung of automation.
• ADAS can sometimes assist the human driver with either steering or braking/accelerating. This could mean lane-centering or adaptive cruise control. 

Level 2: Partial Driving Automation

• ADAS can control both steering and braking/accelerating simultaneously under some circumstances.
• The human driver must continue to pay full attention at all times and perform the majority of the driving tasks. 
• This level is available today on some luxury-brand vehicles. 

Level 3: Conditional Driving Automation

• Semi-autonomous driving systems can perform all aspects of the driving task under certain circumstances.
• The human driver must be paying attention and ready to take control at any time.
• Some companies have developed Level 3 capable AVs, but are awaiting regulatory approval, such as Mercedes and Audi. Honda became the first automaker to sell a certified Level 3 “Traffic Jam Pilot” system in Japan earlier this year. 

Levels 4-5: “Automated Driving Systems”

In these levels, the human is not driving, even if belted in the “driver's seat."

Level 4: High Driving Automation

• Autonomous driving systems can perform all driving tasks and monitor the driving environment. In the event of an emergency or a system failure, instead of needing human override, the vehicle is usually programmed to pull over to a safe stop.
• Vehicles can operate autonomously only within limited areas, speeds, and weather conditions. 
• Human occupants are passengers, do not need to pay attention, and, depending on vehicle features, may not be able to drive the vehicle themselves. 

Level 5: Full Driving Automation

• Autonomous driving systems can do all of the driving in all circumstances, areas, speeds, and weather conditions. No human monitoring is required whatsoever. 
• The vehicle is able to travel anywhere under all conditions.
• No such vehicle is currently available to the general public.

What level are autonomous vehicles at now?

Currently, in the U.S., no vehicles available for widespread public ownership are rated higher than a Level 2. Most fall in the spectrum from Level 0 to 2. Some autonomous vehicle companies are operating Level 4 vehicles on limited roads in a few cities.

Consumer Reports highlighted the importance for drivers to not just understand these levels, but also to know the limitations of each level as policymakers around the world decide what the future of automotive technology will be.

Which level would you feel comfortable using?