Euro 7 decision combines improvement in air quality with feasibility for industry

Today, representatives of the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament and the European Commission reached an agreement in a trilogue regarding the Euro 7 emissions standard.

VDA President Hildegard Müller said: "The automotive industry is resolutely committed to the goal of continually improving air quality to protect health. The Euro standards as a whole are an effective instrument. The new Euro 7 emissions standard will help to further reduce emissions from road transport and thus lead to improved air quality."

The new requirements include, among other things, a first-time regulation of brake dust and tire abrasion, new on-board monitoring techniques, the consideration of smaller particle sizes in the exhaust gas and the extended durability of the emission-related systems.

In view of the upcoming transformation until 2035, the regulation for cars will be nominally lower, but the new additional requirements mean a significant reduction in emissions compared to Euro 6.

"The Euro 7 requirements are partly very ambitious, but our industry is determined to implement them all. The Euro 7 decision combines the improvement of air quality and feasibility for industry in a reasonable way and focuses on an appropriate cost-benefit ratio for industry and consumers. This also ensures that manufacturers can focus their investment on the important, sustainable transformation projects towards climate-neutral mobility," Müller said.

Particularly for heavy commercial vehicles, there is stricter regulation ahead. In addition to significantly tightening the limit values for nitrogen oxides, the Euro 7 decision focuses on low engine load operation in the city. This ensures that the vehicles are very clean, even during long periods of idle time in city operations.

Euro 7 will be mandatory for cars and light commercial vehicles from the end of 2026 and for heavy commercial vehicles and buses from mid-2028. "The schedule for the introduction of Euro 7 is ambitious and requires great effort from manufacturers. But one thing is clear: today's decision now gives companies planning security. They tackle the new challenges and will work with all their might to implement Euro 7," Müller said.

Better air quality through first-time regulation of brake dust and tire wear

With the Euro 7 standard, brake dust and tire wear will now be regulated for the first time. The VDA agreed to this regulation and supported it from the beginning. Müller said: "Nowadays brake emissions can exceed the exhaust emissions of modern combustion engines - thus the Euro 7 potential is correspondingly great. Regulating brake dust and tire wear is a good step towards better air quality."