Protecting America from Chinese Cars Act of 2026

Key Points

• The bill bans connected vehicles from entering the U.S. if they are made in or designed within China, Russia, North Korea, or Iran. It also covers vehicles from companies where those countries hold more than 15% ownership or control.
• The bill targets national security risks from internet-connected cars, including fears that foreign adversary governments could steal data from drivers or remotely control their vehicles.
• There is an exception for vehicles brought into the country solely for testing and evaluation, as long as they are not driven on public roads and the testing company is not majority-owned by a covered country.
• If enacted, Customs and Border Protection would have 90 days to issue regulations listing banned vehicles, and the ban would take effect 30 days after those rules are published.
• The government can grant specific authorizations for otherwise-banned vehicles if it finds, based on clear and convincing evidence, that the vehicle poses no national security risk. Congress gets 60 days to block any such authorization.