Sponsor
The bill improves consumer information, safety, and enforcement around partially automated vehicle systems, but does so at the cost of added compliance, litigation and administrative burdens and potential higher prices or slower rollout of new vehicle features.
Middle-class families and other vehicle buyers get clear, standardized notices and labels about partially automated driving systems, so they can compare capabilities, supervision expectations, and potential fees before purchase.
Drivers and vehicle owners (including transportation workers) receive advance warnings about software updates that materially affect driving tasks, improving safety awareness and reducing the risk of misuse after updates.
Prohibiting misleading marketing reduces consumer deception and overreliance on automated systems, which can lower crash risk and provide stronger consumer protection.
Vehicle purchasers (particularly middle-class families) could face higher prices if manufacturers pass on compliance costs and increased liability expenses to consumers.
Expanded enforcement and greater litigation risk for manufacturers may raise costs, slow product rollouts, and delay availability of new features to consumers.
Rigid disclosure and marketing restrictions could constrain how manufacturers explain complex features and potentially chill some innovation or new information-delivery methods.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires manufacturers and dealers to stop misrepresenting partially automated driving systems and to give clear purchaser and software-update notices about system features, limits, and driver responsibilities.
Representative · D-WA
Requires vehicle manufacturers and dealers to stop making misleading claims that partially automated driving systems are full automated driving systems, and to give clear, prominent notices to purchasers, dealers, and users about what those systems can and cannot do. Short deadlines: misleading representations must stop within 180 days; written purchaser notices and notices for software updates that materially change driving performance take effect within two years.
Official title: To inform consumers about the capabilities and limitations of partially automated vehicles, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 4, 2026 by Kim Schrier · Last progress February 4, 2026