Autonomous driving levels and Navigation on Autopilot—explained

Cars that let you kick back and nap or read while they do all the driving aren’t quite here yet.

However, new cars are increasingly becoming more autonomous. By the end of 2025 about 60% of all new cars sold globally will be able to handle some of the steering, acceleration and braking for the driver.

By the end of the decade, it’s expected that 8% of all new cars will be able to drive autonomously in certain areas. But it won’t be until at least 2035 when we will start to see fully autonomous cars that can go anywhere.

Governing the automation of cars is the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Levels of Driving Automation^TM framework. It’s a global, standardized classification system that defines the six levels of automation. From Level 0 – no automation – to Level 5 – full automation. Importantly, the classification defines who is responsible at each level – the driver or the machine. 

But a new classification for autonomous vehicles is emerging with an emphasis on route-based automation – China’s Navigation on Autopilot (NOA), set by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and popularized by major Chinese automakers and research institutes.

China recently imposed a ban on automakers using the terms “autonomous driving” and “smart driving” when they advertise driving assistance features. This is to improve driver expectations and safety when it comes to understanding the different levels of autonomy of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS).

Your intelligent co-pilot

As cars increasingly become more autonomous, the latest connected navigation tech is emerging as a bridge between driver and machine. While NOA (sometimes referred to as Navigation on Demand) is not an alternative to the SAE levels, it builds on them by defining automated driving capability based on ADAS capability AND location.

Using digital maps and navigation plans with a focus on real-world scenarios, NOA determines when and at what level the car or the driver is in control based on where the car is as well as its autonomous capability.

For example, SAE Level 1 + NOA means you’re still responsible for driving, but you might use adaptive cruise control to maintain your speed on a highway. With NOA features, your car could automatically slow down by predicting a curve ahead using GPS data or alert you about an upcoming lane change. But the driver is still responsible for steering or speed unless one task is briefly assisted.

Level 2 + NOA is partial automation with driver supervision following a pre-defined navigation route and GPS. For example, the car could keep itself in lane, maintain a safe distance from vehicles in front, and navigate turns, but the driver must be ready to take over immediately if the system predicts adverse weather, construction or unclear road markings.

Level 3 and Level 4 + NOA is getting toward full automation, with the car doing all the driving and the driver able to take their eyes off the road, but only in specific areas. The car navigates freely in the geofenced zone using intelligent maps as guidance, but once out of the autonomous driving area the driver must take over.  

Central to the success of autonomous driving and Navigation on Autopilot is location intelligence and highly accurate maps that give situational awareness in real time. For instance, NOA can dynamically change the route based on traffic, weather and road data without driver input, and clearly define when the driver is in control and when the car is responsible based on defined routes.

​At Auto Shanghai 2025, HERE is set to unveil a suite of advanced navigation and driver assistance solutions designed to accelerate the development of software-defined vehicles (SDVs) and support the evolution of Navigation on Autopilot systems.