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Guide · Automotive processes
Functional safety & ASPICE — safety and process quality.
In the automotive environment, two standards meet: ISO 26262 for functional safety and Automotive SPICE for process quality. The two belong together — but mean different things.
ISO 26262 — functional safety
ISO 26262 is the international standard for functional safety in road vehicles (first published in 2011 and revised since). It provides a framework for systematically ensuring safety across the entire development life cycle.
ASIL — the risk classification
The core concept is the ASIL (Automotive Safety Integrity Level), which divides risk into four levels: ASIL A (lowest risk) to ASIL D (highest). The classification is derived from three factors: the severity of potential harm (severity), the frequency of the situation (exposure) and the ability to control it (controllability). The higher the ASIL, the stricter the requirements for development and evidence.
ASPICE — process quality
Automotive SPICE (ASPICE) is a process assessment model based on ISO/IEC 15504 (SPICE), maintained by European vehicle manufacturers (VDA). It evaluates the maturity of the development process — above all from the perspective of requirements and their traceability.
The difference in one sentence
ISO 26262 reduces the safety risk for the end user; ASPICE safeguards process and product quality. Together they form the backbone of automotive software development. We work along these processes — we clarify the specific framework per project.
Frequently asked questions
Does every ECU need ASIL D?
Is ASPICE the same as ISO 26262?
Sources: LDRA — ISO 26262 & ASILs, Jama — ISO 26262 vs. ASPICE. The applicable standard edition in each case is authoritative.