Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a highly heterogeneous autoimmune disease characterized by the presence of numerous autoantibodies, leading to multisystem and multi-organ involvement. Due to the complex pathogenesis of SLE, conventional treatments often result in significant side effects and limited efficacy, highlighting the need to explore novel therapeutic strategies. In recent years, chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) immunotherapy has emerged as a novel therapeutic approach, demonstrating impressive clinical efficacy in treating B cell-derived hematologic malignancies. However, its application in autoimmune diseases such as SLE remains in the early stages of research. In this review, we summarize the immunological mechanisms of CAR-T immunotherapy and its research progress in autoimmune diseases, particularly SLE, with the aim of providing a reference for future therapeutic strategies in SLE.