Electrified vehicles are showing up in every part of the automotive world, from the sales lot to the quick-lube bay to the collision shop. The ASE xEV Electrical Safety Awareness Certification (Level 1) shows that you understand the high-voltage hazards these vehicles carry and know how to stay safe around them, even if you never work on a high-voltage system yourself.

The test is short but precise. Questions come from ASE’s written safety standard, so details like voltage thresholds, who may touch what, and the order of emergency steps matter. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the exam format, each section of the standard the test is built on, the official resources worth downloading, and answers to the questions candidates ask most.

What Is the ASE xEV (Level 1) Exam?

The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) created its xEV (electrified propulsion vehicle) safety program around industry standards called the ASE Electrified Propulsion Vehicles (xEV) High-Voltage Electrical Safety Standards. Those standards define three levels of people who work on or near electrified vehicles:

  • Level One, Electrically Aware Person: Anyone who may encounter an EV in the workplace, including people in sales, service, repair, and related roles.
  • Level Two, High-Voltage Vehicle Technician: A technician who has received high-voltage electrical training and can isolate voltage, verify isolation, and work on de-energized high-voltage components.
  • Level Three, High-Voltage Vehicle and Battery Technician: A Level Two technician with battery pack training who can perform live work. ASE notes Level Three is not yet fully defined.

The Level 1 test certifies the first tier. According to ASE, an Electrically Aware Person may drive an xEV, perform maintenance and repairs not related to high-voltage systems, handle non-high-voltage components, and encounter xEVs or their high-voltage components while doing their job. The key word is awareness: you need to recognize hazards and know your limits, not service high-voltage systems.

What Is the ASE xEV (Level 1) Exam Format?

Here is the test at a glance, based on ASE’s xEV Safety Certifications page:

  • Questions: 20 questions.
  • Time: 60 minutes, and the clock runs continuously once you start.
  • Delivery: Online through ASE’s NetExam platform, not at a Prometric test center like ASE’s traditional certification tests.
  • Fee: $38.99 (Level 2 is $49.99). Purchases are non-refundable.
  • Testing window: Your test is valid for 90 days from the purchase date.
  • Results: You’ll find out right away, and once you pass, you can download and print a certificate.
  • Validity: ASE states that xEV certifications are valid for five years.
  • Passing score: ASE does not publish a passing score for the xEV tests on its official pages.

With 60 minutes for 20 questions, time pressure is rarely the issue. Accuracy is. With so few questions, a couple of careless misses on details like “30 V AC or 60 V DC” can make a real difference.

What Content Outline Does the ASE xEV (Level 1) Exam Use?

ASE does not publish a traditional blueprint with domain percentages for this test. Instead, the study document is the ASE xEV High-Voltage Electrical Safety Standards, Level ONE, Version 2.1, effective January 14, 2025. That document pulls the Level One requirements out of the full industry standard and organizes them into lettered sections.
The six sections below are the subjects tested, and they match how Pocket Prep organizes its ASE xEV (Level 1) question bank. Because ASE does not assign official weights, study all six, but expect more material to come from the longer sections (C and D).

Section A: Purpose and Definitions

This section sets the ground rules. It explains that the standard covers electrified vehicle systems with alternating voltages above 30 V AC rms and direct voltages above 60 V DC, and it defines what a Level One person may do.

  • The meaning of “SHALL” (required) versus “MAY” (recommended) in the standard.
  • The definition of an Electrically Aware Person and the four Level One skills.
  • Typical high-voltage system ranges, from roughly 100 V to 400 V DC and up to 800 V DC or more.

Study tip: Memorize the 30 V AC rms / 60 V DC threshold. It shows up again in the barricade, cable-color, and labeling requirements.

Section B: General Requirements for Electrical Safety-Related Work Practices

Section B covers the risks of EV work and the shop-level controls that keep people out of harm’s way.

  • Key risks: high-voltage isolation, battery integrity after a collision, fire safety, high-voltage work, and a vehicle turning on unexpectedly.
  • How to aid someone being shocked: never touch them directly; call 911, disconnect the high-voltage source, and separate the person from the source with a non-conducting object.
  • Physical barriers, signage, and boundary guarding, including a magnetic car topper that identifies a vehicle as energized or non-energized.
  • The rule that conductive barricades shall not be used where they could increase exposure to an electrical hazard.

What questions look like: A coworker is in contact with an energized conductor. The best answer never involves grabbing the person with bare hands.

Section C: Establishing an Electrically Safe Work Condition

This section lists what a Level One person must know and what the employer must provide. It also contains one of the most tested restrictions in the standard.

  • Level One safety concepts that SHALL be trained and tested: identifying xEV high-voltage components and circuits, recognizing warning lights and labels, and understanding safety concerns during scheduled maintenance and shop procedures.
  • The Level One restriction: a Level One person shall not touch a manual service disconnect (MSD) or any high-voltage component.
  • Employer responsibilities such as restricted access, non-conductive work surfaces, secured storage for high-voltage parts, and an xEV service safety kit (car topper, cones, barricades, Class 0 gloves, and more).
  • Emergency response training (required for all levels) and first aid/CPR training (recommended).
  • Fire response: if the high-voltage battery appears to be the source of a fire, everyone leaves the building or area immediately.

Study tip: Separate what the shop must provide from what the Level One person must know.

Section D: Safety-Related Work Practices

Section D gets into the vehicle itself: batteries, stranded energy, cables, and labels.

  • Battery voltage ranges, including packs above 1,200 V DC in some larger trucks and buses.
  • Stranded energy, the charge that can remain in a battery or capacitors after a crash.
  • Warning signs of a shorting battery: sizzling or popping, leaking fluids, a chemical smell, smoke, or sparks.
  • Thermal runaway, and why damaged vehicles should be isolated at least 50 feet from flammable or combustible materials.
  • Orange high-voltage cables as required by FMVSS 305, and the rule to follow OEM labeling.

What questions look like: You notice a sweet chemical smell and popping sounds from under a vehicle that was just towed in. The goal is to recognize a possible shorting condition and notify emergency responders.

Section E: De-Energizing

This short section explains how to secure a vehicle and prevent it from being re-energized.

  • Securing the vehicle per OEM instructions: in park, wheels chocked, parking brake applied, and systems de-energized or disabled.
  • Moving a keyless fob outside detection range and storing it in a secured container.
  • Lockout/tagout (LOTO), keeping removed fuses, relays, or the MSD under lock and key, and when to use lockout versus tagout.

Study tip: A Level One person does not perform the high-voltage disable, but you must recognize a secured vehicle and never undo someone else’s lockout.

Section G: Addendums, Resources, and References

The final section lists the regulations and standards the ASE document draws from.

  • NFPA 70E, the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70), and OSHA 29 CFR 1910 Subpart S.
  • OSHA’s 50-volt hazard threshold and the lockout/tagout rules in 1910.147.
  • SAE standards such as J2990 (first and second responders), J3108 (xEV labels), and J1772 (conductive charge coupler).
  • FMVSS 305 and NHTSA references, plus arc-rated PPE categories.

Study tip: Skip memorizing every citation, but know which body covers what: OSHA for workplace rules, NFPA 70E for workplace electrical safety, SAE for vehicle practices, and FMVSS for federal vehicle safety.

How Should You Use the Blueprint to Build a Study Plan?

The Level ONE document is short enough to read in one sitting. The goal is to recall its specific numbers and rules without looking.

  1. Read the standard once for context. Highlight every “SHALL” statement and every number.
  2. Take a mixed baseline quiz. See which sections you already know from daily shop experience and which ones are new.
  3. Map misses to a section. If you missed an emergency response question, go back to Section B; a battery hazard question points to Section D.
  4. Build a one-page fact sheet. Voltage thresholds, the three emergency steps, the 50-foot isolation distance, LOTO rules, and the Level One restrictions fit on a single page.
  5. Finish with timed, mixed practice. Mixing sections forces you to recognize which rule applies.

What Official Resources Should You Use?

Frequently Asked Questions About the ASE xEV (Level 1) Exam

How many questions are on the ASE xEV Level 1 test?
The test has 20 questions and a 60-minute time limit that runs continuously once you begin.

What is the passing score?
ASE does not publish a passing score for the xEV tests, so aim to master the whole standard rather than a number.

Do I need work experience to take the Level 1 test?
No work experience or prerequisite is listed. ASE describes Level 1 as designed for anyone who may encounter an EV in the workplace. This is different from ASE’s traditional certification tests, which require documented hands-on experience.

How soon do I get results?
The test is online, so you know your result when you finish. After you pass, you can download and print your certificate.

How long is the certification valid?
ASE states that xEV certifications are valid for five years.

Start Preparing for the ASE xEV (Level 1) Exam With Pocket Prep

Pocket Prep’s ASE xEV (Level 1) practice questions give you 200 questions organized by the six sections of ASE’s safety standard, each with a detailed explanation that points you back to the rule behind the answer. Start with a Quick 10 to find your baseline, then use Weakest Subject quizzes to lock in the details. Daily focused sessions can have you ready to test with confidence.