There are new emission rules, and even brakes aren’t exempt.

Brakes, tires, and batteries are now under scrutiny under Euro 7, which will introduce new requirements for cars starting this year.

The Euro 7 standard was approved in 2024, but it is only now being applied to cars. Unlike previous standards, the new rules go far beyond exhaust emissions, covering areas such as brake particles and battery durability as well.

The first requirements of this standard will begin to take effect this year, more precisely on November 29th, for all passenger and light commercial vehicles that have not yet been approved — that is, new models that have not yet reached the market.

For the rest of new cars (whether approved or not), the standard will come into force in one year: on November 29th, 2027.

What’s changing this year?

In passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, Euro 7 largely retains the current Euro 6 exhaust emission limits. However, there is a significant change regarding particle control, as solid particles with sizes starting at 10 nanometers (PN10) are now also taken into account, instead of the previously used 23 nanometers. But this isn’t the biggest news.

For the first time, European legislation sets limits on particles that do not originate from exhaust gases, specifically those from tires and brakes. For passenger cars, there will now be a specific limit of 7 mg/km for brake particle emissions. For heavy vehicles, this limit will be 11 mg/km.

Electric vehicles are not exempt from this requirement. A limit of 3 mg/km has been set for brake particle emissions in light electric vehicles, and 5 mg/km for heavy electric vehicles. This difference is partly explained by the fact that electric vehicles rely more on regenerative braking, reducing the use of mechanical brakes.

Another major development set to begin this year relates to the high-voltage batteries in electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. For 100% electric passenger cars and plug-in hybrids, the battery must retain at least 80% of its initial capacity after five years or 100,000 kilometers, whichever comes first. After that period, up to eight years or 160,000 kilometers, the requirement drops to 72% of the initial capacity.

In light commercial vehicles, the requirements are different: the battery must maintain at least 75% of its initial capacity after five years or 100,000 kilometers, and 67% after eight years or 160,000 kilometers.

This does not mean that all electric vehicles sold in Europe will now come with an eight-year battery warranty. Euro 7 sets minimum performance requirements for approval purposes; the specific terms of the warranty still depend on the manufacturer.

What about tires?

There is also a change here, though it will not take effect in 2026. Euro 7 introduces requirements regarding tire wear, that is, the amount of material they can lose during use.

The limits will be applied gradually, starting with C1 class tires — essentially those used in compact cars — beginning on July 1, 2028, for tires not yet approved, and on July 1, 2030, for all new tires (approved or not).

For tires C2 and C3, which are primarily used in commercial and heavy vehicles, the dates are even later: 2030/2032 and 2032/2034, respectively.

In other words, although Euro 7 will begin to apply to light vehicles in 2026, the new rules regarding tires will not take effect at that time. Learn more in Regulation (EU) 2024/1257.

What about vehicles already on the road?

Euro 7 will not automatically make vehicles already circulating on roads illegal. The new rules apply to new vehicles, with phased implementation, rather than to vehicles that have already been registered.

In addition, the standard will also apply to new heavy vehicles starting in 2028 (for new type approvals) and 2029 (for all registrations).