A new method based on the equivalent network namely zone-networks（zone-elements） is proposed for the reliabilityevaluation of distribution networks. In the method， two equivalent networks are formed by two types of zone-elements definedby the auto（or non-auto） switching to be the boundary. A valid proposition is further suggested for the simplification of theequivalent networks. During the evaluation process， the switches are treated as one of components of the relevant zone- element， avoiding the sole consideration of the switch fault. Taking zone-loads as analysis objects and the zone-elements as theanalysis unit， a classification evaluation strategy is designed for the calculation of reliability indices， which greatly reduces thenumber of the units needing to be traversed and analyzed， and also overcomes the defect of repetitive evaluation of the samekind of loads. Test results demonstrate that the computational efficiency of the method is significantly improved compared withother methods.