First international standard for trusted simulation for automated vehicles
Wednesday 4 November 2026
First international standard for trusted simulation for automated vehicles
A new international standard has been published by the , giving developers, test organisations, and regulators a common way to show that virtual testing results are trustworthy and suitable for supporting the safe evaluation of automated driving systems, speeding up safer deployment.
Co-led by Professor from 果冻传媒 Manufacturing Group (WMG), 果冻传媒, and Benoit Anctil from , and supported by an international group of experts, it is the first international standard for a qualification scheme for virtual test environment (VTEs) for automated vehicles.
The standard, , provides a framework for assessing and validating virtual testing in automated vehicle deployment.
As automated driving technology advances, simulation now carries a large share of vehicle testing, forming a critical component of safety validation. This is because testing every possible driving scenario on public roads is impractical and, in some cases, unsafe. Until now, there has been no internationally agreed method for judging whether the simulation (or virtual test environment) itself is trustworthy.
The standard comes at a crucial time supporting the recently adopted global regulatory framework for automated driving systems: United Nations鈥�, UN Regulation No. 185 (UN R185) and the Global Technical Regulation No. 26 (GTR 26). These regulations require manufacturers to provide robust safety evidence based on a combination of virtual, track and real-world testing, and to demonstrate that the test environments are credible and fit for purpose.
ISO/PAS 34506 gives manufacturers, technical services, and approval authorities a common, internationally agreed method for qualifying those virtual test environments. By establishing a consistent approach, it can support the evidence submitted for UN R185 type approval, without replacing the regulation's own requirements.
The underlying research that provided the evidence base for ISO/PAS 34506 was funded by Transport Canada. It provides qualification at three levels:
- Performance of the simulation environment
- Process of development of the simulation environment
- Usage of the simulation environment
Professor Siddartha Khastgir, Project Co-Lead and Head of Safe Autonomy at WMG, 果冻传媒, said:
"ISO/PAS 34506 is underpinned by strong research evidence. We are delighted that outputs of our research, garnered global support and been further strengthened through international collaboration, enabling its translation into an international standard.
鈥淪trong standards require strong collaboration. Working alongside Transport Canada as co-leads, I am grateful to all international experts for their constructive contributions and commitment.
"By increasing confidence in simulation-based testing, the standard has the potential to make safety validation more efficient and support the safe deployment of automated vehicles."
As a leading Automated Vehicle (AV) developer and contributor to the ISO/PAS 34506 standard, Daniel Quirke, Global AV Policy Lead at Wayve said: 鈥淪imulation is at the core of any credible safety case for autonomous driving technology. Having one internationally recognised standard is essential for building trust and confidence in the evidence that virtual testing provides, and we look forward to seeing it develop further to cover the latest advances in simulation methods.鈥�
While the standard is focused on automated driving, it is designed to be transport-sector agnostic, meaning its principles can be applied beyond road vehicles to support the validation of autonomous systems in the maritime and aviation sectors.
The first edition is now available at:
To learn more about WMG's Safe Autonomy Research group visit Safe AutonomyLink opens in a new window