Self-Driving Vehicle Automation Levels

Self-driving cars today operate at various levels of automation. To break it down, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) created a 5-level scale that goes from fully manual driving to completely autonomous operation. This table lays out what each level means.

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) sorts these levels into two main groups: advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), which cover Level 2 features, and automated driving systems (ADS), which include Levels 3 through 5. While ADS vehicles are in use in certain limited settings, none are yet available for consumers to buy.

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