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Safety and Performance Testing for Automotive Cables and Connectors

UL Solutions provides testing in accordance with global standards and specifications for automotive cables and connectors.

Close-up view of the electrical system and engine components of a modern car in a machine shop.

The importance of reliable automotive cables and connectors

Properly functioning cables and connectors play a critical role in the safety and reliability of automobiles. Malfunctions can contribute to issues such as short circuits in power systems, increased latency in vehicle camera systems, and other conditions that may pose safety risks and, in some cases, contribute to accidents or injuries. Engaging UL Solutions to evaluate cables and connectors in accordance with relevant industry specifications can help you demonstrate safety and performance, as well as mitigate potential safety and noncompliance risks.

Automotive cables and connectors are expected to perform reliably under a range of operating and exposure conditions, regardless of construction. To support this performance, they are designed to meet technical requirements that address the environmental stresses encountered in road vehicles. UL Solutions offers testing services for a variety of automotive cables and connectors across a wide temperature range (typically minus 40 degrees C to 125 degrees C, and up to 250 degrees C, depending on the application).

In addition to thermal performance, UL Solutions conducts testing related to environmental exposure, flame propagation, mechanical durability, chemical resistance and electrical characteristics. Services encompass wiring used in electrical and electronic systems, as well as power and high-speed data interconnections, supporting global market requirements. UL Solutions can also perform testing to evaluate electrical transmission performance (signal integrity) for automotive data cables.

Global standards for automotive cables and connectors

Automotive cables and connectors are subject to diverse requirements across regions and operating conditions. The following table highlights key safety and performance standards in global markets.

Standard	Scope	Market
FMVSS 302	Flammability of Automotive Materials	North American
ISO 19642 series -2 to -10	Road Vehicles – Automotive Cables – Dimensions and Requirements for Single-Core Cables and Round, Sheathed, Screened or Unscreened Multi- or Single-Core Cables, Copper and Aluminum Conductors, 30 VAC/60 VDC, 600 VAC/900 VDC, 1,000 VAC/1,500 VDC	Global
ISO 19642-11	Road vehicles – Automotive Cables – Part 11: Dimensions and Requirements for Coaxial RF Cables with a Specified Analogue Bandwidth up to 6 GHz (20 GHz)	Global
ISO 19642-12	Road Vehicles – Automotive Cables – Part 12: Dimensions and Requirements for Unscreened Twisted Pair RF Cables with a Specified Analogue Bandwidth up to 1 GHz	Global
ISO 14572	Road Vehicles – Round, Sheathed, 60 V and 600 V Screened and Unscreened Single- or Multi-Core Cables – Test Methods and Requirements for Basic- and High-Performance Cables	Global
ISO 6722-1	Road Vehicles – 60 V and 600 V Single-Core Cables – Part 1: Dimensions, Test Methods and Requirements for Copper Conductor Cables	Global
ISO 6722-2	Road Vehicles – 60 V and 600 V Single-Core Cables – Part 2: Dimensions, Test Methods and Requirements for Aluminum Conductor Cables	Global
ISO 24581	Road Vehicles – General Requirements and Test Methods of In-Vehicle Optical Harnesses for up to 100 Gbit/s Communication	Global
JSAE JASO D608	Heat-Resistant Low-Tension Cables for Automobiles	Japan
#	Specification for IEEE 100BASE-T1 Definitions for Communication Channel	Global
#	Specification for Channel and Components Requirements for 1000BASE-T1 Link Segment Type A	Global
#	Specification for Channel and Component Requirements for 1000BASE-T1 Link Segment Type A (STP)	Global
SAE J1127	Surface Vehicle Standard: Low Voltage Battery Cable	North American
SAE J1128	Surface Vehicle Standard: Low Voltage Primary Cable	North American
SAE J1654	Unshielded High Voltage Primary Cable	North American
SAE J1678	Surface Vehicle Standard: Low Voltage Ultra-Thin Wall Primary Cable	North American
SAE J2840	High Voltage Shielded and Jacketed Cable	North American
SAE J3117/1	100BASE-T1 Un-Shielded Balanced Single Twisted Pair Ethernet Cable	North American
SAE J3117/2	1000BASE-T1 Un-Shielded and Shielded Balanced Single Twisted Pair Ethernet Cable	North American
SAE J3117/3	2.5/5/10GBASE-T1 Shielded Balanced Single Pair Ethernet Cable	North American
SAE USCAR2	Performance Standard for Automotive Electrical Connector Systems	North American
SAE USCAR30	Performance Specification for Automotive Universal Serial Bus (USB) Connection System	North American
UL 2276	Outline of Investigation for Recreational Vehicle Cable	North American
UL 2726	Outline of Investigation for Battery Lead Wire	North American
UL 2733	Outline of Investigation for Surface Vehicle On-Board Cable	North American
UL 4127	Outline of Investigation for Low Voltage Battery Cable	North American
UL 4740	The Standard for Lidar and Lidar Systems Used in Vehicles	North American
UN Regulation No. 118	Uniform Technical Prescriptions Concerning the Burning Behavior and/or the Capability to Repel Fuel or Lubricant of Materials Used in the Construction of Certain Categories of Motor Vehicles	Europe

# Open Alliance (OA) Technical Committee TC9 has developed these specifications.

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