Euro 7 regulation: Council of Europe tightens up road vehicle rules

The European Council has adopted the Euro 7 Regulation, which sets rules on emission limits for road vehicles and battery durability. The text adopted on 12 April 2024 sets out the provisions for passenger cars, vans and heavy-duty vehicles in a single legal act. It aims to further reduce emissions from exhaust gases and brakes. The new regulation also sets stricter requirements for vehicle lifetime.

The Euro 7 regulates exhaust emissions from road vehicles, but also sets rules for other types of emissions such as tyre wear. For the first time, EU standards will include brake particle emissions limits for cars and vans and minimum performance requirements for battery durability in electric and hybrid cars. For cars and vans, the regulation does not change the current Euro 6 exhaust emission limits but introduces stricter requirements for particulate matter. The stricter requirements will apply to all vehicles, both in terms of mileage and lifetime.

In addition, an Environmental Vehicle Passport will be made available for each vehicle and contain information on its environmental performance at the moment of registration (such as pollutant emission limits, CO2 emissions, fuel and electric energy consumption, electric range, and battery durability). Vehicle users will also have access to up-to-date information about fuel consumption, battery health, pollutant emissions and other relevant information generated by on-board systems and monitors.

With the adoption of the regulation, the decision-making process is now complete. The regulation will enter into force on the 20th day following its publication. The date of application of the regulation will depend on the type of vehicle concerned, for instance 30 months after entry into force for new types of cars and vans and 42 months after entry into force for new cars and vans.