Abstract: Low carbon transition is a transition from high carbon socio-technical regime to low carbon socio-technical regime, which is a complex, dynamic and long period process accompanying participation of multi actors, breaking of high carbon “lock-in” and reconfiguration of a new low carbon socio-technical regime. From the multi-level perspective there is a necessary mechanism occurring in three different levels: Shielding and nurturing disruptive low carbon innovation in niches as the internal momentum of transition; Outsider pressure from landscape making cracks in the dominant high carbon socio-technical regime to provide windows of opportunity for the development of low carbon niche; Eventually these lead to breaking up of the old regime and configuration and stabilization of a new one. The case of low carbon transition of automobile transport in China shows that multi-level perspective is a very useful and heuristic tool in analyzing such complex, dynamic and uncertain process. So it is necessary for system builders especially government and policy makers to adopt such ontology to understand the coevolution process of low carbon transition and promote relevant policies.