  The introduction of automated vehicles demands a way to prove their safe
operation. However, validating the safety of automated vehicles is still an
unsolved problem. While the scenario-based test approach seems to provide a
possible solution, it requires the execution of a high amount of test cases.
Several test benches, from actual test vehicles to partly or fully simulated
environments, are available, but choosing the optimal test bench, e.g. in terms
of required execution time and costs, is a difficult task. Every test bench
provides different elements, e.g. simulation models which can be used for test
case execution. The composition of elements at a specific test bench is called
test bench configuration. This test bench configuration determines the actual
performance of a test bench and, therefore, whether the run of a particular
test case provides valid test case results with respect to the intended
purpose, e.g. a safety validation. For an effective and efficient test case
execution, a method is required to assign test cases to the most appropriate
test bench configuration. Therefore, it is indispensable to have a method to
classify test bench configurations in a clear and reproducible manner. In this
paper, we propose a method for classifying test benches and test bench
configurations and illustrate the classification method with some examples. The
classification method serves as a basis for a systematic assignment of test
cases to test bench configurations which allows for an effective and efficient
test case execution.
