PURPOSE: to adopt new rules on emission limits for cars, vans and trucks.
LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation (EU) 2024/1257 of the European Parliament and of the Council on type-approval of motor vehicles and engines and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles, with respect to their emissions and battery durability (Euro 7), amending Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Regulations (EC) No 715/2007 and (EC) No 595/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Commission Regulation (EU) No 582/2011, Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/1151, Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2400 and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1362.
CONTENT: the Euro 7 regulation lays down rules on emission limits for road vehicles and battery durability. The text covers cars, vans and heavy-duty vehicles in one single legal act and aims to further lower air pollutant emissions from exhaust fumes and brakes. The new regulation also establishes stricter lifetime requirements.
Reduced emissions, longer-lasting batteries
The Euro 7 regulation:
- establishes rules for the exhaust gas emissions of road vehicles, but also for other types of emissions such as tyre abrasion and brake particle emissions;
- sets limits for battery durability;
- maintains the existing Euro 6 exhaust emission limits for cars and vans. However, the agreement limits the emission of solid particles with a diameter starting from 10 nm (PN10);
- establishes, for heavy-duty buses and trucks, more stringent limits for various pollutants, including for pollutants that were not regulated in Euro VI, such as nitrous oxide (N2O);
- introduces stricter limits for particulate emissions during braking, with specific limits for electric vehicles;
- introduces stricter durability requirements for all vehicles, both in terms of mileage and lifetime periods.
Obligations of the manufacturers
The regulation sets out the obligations of manufacturers with regard to the construction of vehicles, systems, components and separate technical units.
Manufacturers should design, construct and assemble vehicles of categories M1, M2, M3, N1, N2 and N3 with:
- on-board diagnostic systems (OBD) that can detect malfunctioning systems which lead to exhaust emission exceedances or the malfunctioning of components related to emission performance in order to facilitate repairs;
- on-board monitoring systems (OBM) capable of monitoring exhaust emissions;
- on-board fuel and electric energy consumption monitoring devices (OBFCM) to monitor their real-world fuel and electric energy consumption;
- excess exhaust emissions driver warning systems;
- devices communicating off-board vehicle generated data used for compliance with this Regulation and OBFCM data, including for the purpose of periodic roadworthiness tests.
The tampering of vehicles to remove or deactivate parts of the pollution control systems is a well-known problem and should be prevented and effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties should apply.
The regulation also sets out the obligations of Member States with regard to type-approval for emissions and market surveillance.
Environmental passport
Environmental data about the vehicle type and the environmental performance of individual vehicles will be made available to users and, where appropriate, displayed inside the vehicle. An Environmental Vehicle Passport (EVP) should therefore be made available for each vehicle. Vehicle users should also have access to up-to-date information about fuel consumption, the state of health of traction batteries, pollutant emissions and other relevant information generated by on-board systems and monitors.
Application dates
The dates of application of the regulation depend on the type of vehicle concerned:
- from 29 November 2026 for new types of cars and vans, and from 29 November 2027 for new vehicles;
- from 29 May 2028 for new types of buses, lorries and trailers, and from 29 May 2029 for new vehicles;
- from 1 July 2028 for new types of C1 class tyres, from 1 April 2030 for new types of C2 class tyres and from 1 April 2032 for new types of C3 class tyres;
- from 1 July 2030 for vehicles of categories M1 and N1 constructed by small-volume manufacturers and from 1 July 2031 for vehicles of categories M2, M3, N2 and N3 constructed by small-volume manufacturers.
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 28.5.2024.