The phrase “Self-Driving Car” can mean different things to different people. The Society of Automotive Engineers has been nice enough to organize these Self-Driving Car technologies into five levels, which are based on how much human intervention is required to operate the car. We’re going to roll our way through each of these levels here.

Think of these levels a bit like the certification labels on foods. Labels, like “Certified Organic” or “Non GMO”, help us understand what we’re getting when we are buying a product. Similarly, these levels of autonomy help us know how a particular make and model of a car will function on the road. This helps consumers, the Department of Motor Vehicles, and insurance companies know how to classify these new types of cars.