A certificate revocation list updating method includes determining by a first road side unit (RSU), based on a first certificate revocation list stored by the first RSU, that a certificate used by a first on board unit (OBU) in a coverage area of the first RSU is revoked, sending, by the first RSU, a first notification message to one or more OBUs in the coverage area of the first RSU, where the first notification message notifies the one or more OBUs to update a certificate revocation list.