Euro 7: Council and European Parliament reach agreement, but its implementation is delayed

This Monday, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union reached a preliminary agreement on the standard. Euro 7. A new initiative to reduce vehicle emissions is another step towards becoming a reality. Although what has been agreed represents some changes compared to the original Commission proposal.

If you want to know in detail what Euro 7 is and how it affects the automotive industry and consumers, we invite you to read the detailed report we published a while ago in Hypertext.

Regarding what has been agreed by the Council and the European Parliament, the first thing to emphasize is that Euro 7 will retain the exhaust emission limits for cars and vans set in Euro 6.. Of course, as required by the European Parliament, the emission of particulate matter with a diameter greater than 10 nm will now be limited, compared to the 23 nm provided for in the previous rules.

In the case of heavy vehicles (trucks and buses), switching on Nitric oxide on the list of contaminants. This is in addition to others that were already covered in Euro VI, such as carbon monoxide, ammonia and methane, to name a few.

Euro 7 also introduces emissions restrictions for hybrid and electric vehicles.

As we explained then, the Euro 7 standard is not limited to emissions from exhaust pipes. It also regulates the flow coming from the brakes and tires.. Therefore, these points also apply to hybrid and electric vehicles.

For cars and vans, Euro 7 limits brake particle emissions to 3 milligrams per kilometer for those that are 100% electric. For hybrids, fuel cell vehicles and most cars with gasoline or diesel engines, the limit will be 7 milligrams per kilometer.

Finally, large vans will also have to comply with the relevant restrictions depending on the type of engine used. For electric vehicles it will be 5 milligrams per kilometer, and for cars with an internal combustion engine – 11 milligrams per kilometer.

Euro 7 also introduces minimum performance requirements for EV battery longevity:

• Cars: 80% after 5 years or 100,000 kilometers from the beginning of the service life and 72% up to 8 years or 160,000 kilometers.
• Vans: 75% after 5 years or 100,000 kilometers from the beginning of the service life and 67% up to 8 years or 160,000 kilometers.

Likewise, the agreement between Parliament and the Council retains the parameters set by the European Commission in its Euro 7 proposal regarding the years of use and mileage that cars and vans must meet. The standard duplicates both, bring them up to 10 years or 200,000 kilometers.

When will it come into force

The preliminary agreement for Euro 7 must now be formally ratified by both the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. It’s worth noting that the original idea was for the standard to come into force in July 2025 for cars and vans, and in 2027 for trucks and buses. Nevertheless, now that has changed.

According to reports, regulation will begin to apply 30 months later its final approval in the case of cars and trucks. This means that it can only be effectively implemented between 2026 and 2027, depending on how long it takes to sign. In the case of heavy vehicles (trucks, buses and trailers) this will be from 48 months later after entry into force. Therefore, it will take until 2028 or 2029.

The only accuracy provided regarding dates is as per application for brands producing vehicles in low volumes. In this case, Euro 7 will be regulated with July 1, 2030 for cars and minibuses. Although this will be done from July 1, 2031 for buses and trucks.