Euro 7 – what does the EU's new emission class mean?

Emission class Euro 6 is about to be replaced by the new Euro 7, which tightens the requirements not only on pollution from fossil-fueled engines, but also from tires and brakes. But criticism has already been directed at the proposal from several quarters - we are sorting this out and what the emission standard means.

The regulations in emission class Euro 7 (Euro VII for heavy vehicles) are supposed to enter into force on July 1, 2025. But before the proposal can go through, the EU Parliament must discuss the matter and make a decision.

With emission class Euro 7, fully electric cars must also be included in the rules. Among other things, particle emissions from brakes and tires must be limited. This is due to the fact that an electric car is generally heavier and thus wears more on brakes and tires.

What does emission class Euro 7 mean?

Euro 7 covers passenger cars, light trucks, lorries and buses and means in brief that:

• Emissions from brakes must be limited

• Rules are introduced for microplastic pollution from tires

• Emission rules must be followed for a longer period of time (10 years or 20,000 miles)

• Emissions tests must become more efficient

• Compliance with the rules must be checked digitally

• Better market surveillance tests

For vehicles with internal combustion engines, this also means that:

• There will be fuel- and technology-neutral emission limits to comply with.

• Additional pollution must be regulated.

• Road tests should cover more driving conditions.

For electric cars and plug-in hybrids, the emission class means:

• Requirements for battery durability.

Source: Teknikens Värld

The Council of the European Union has left its position

Before a proposal is discussed and voted on in the EU Parliament, the matter is prepared in the Council of the European Union. The Council submitted its position on 25 September 2023 and then submitted the following inputs:

• That existing testing conditions and emission limits according to Euro 6 must be maintained in Euro 7 for passenger cars and light trucks. This is in view of the investments that are currently being made by the industry to switch to the production of emission-free cars.

• that the emission limits should be lower for buses and heavy commercial vehicles and that the conditions should be slightly adjusted compared to Euro 6 for these vehicles.

• That there should also be limit values for brake particle emissions in Euro 7 and likewise the wear rate of the tires. One wishes to see the same standard adopted by the UN Economic Commission.

Criticism of the proposal

The new rules, if introduced, will make vehicles significantly more expensive to own, everyone agrees. But there are divided opinions on how much more expensive it will actually be.

In the European Commission's calculations, it has been concluded that a passenger car, according to the original proposal, will be approx. 2,000 - 5,000 kroner more expensive, while trucks and buses will be more expensive by approximately kroner 30,000. As a counterbalance to the cost increases, the European Commission believes that "for every euro spent on Euro 7 technology, you save 5 euros on the environment and health".

The European trade organization European Automobile Manufacturer's Association (ACEA) has previously strongly criticized these calculations, citing a study commissioned by Frontier Economics that shows a significantly higher cost. They believe that the introduction of Euro 7 will mean cost increases of up to SEK 140,000 for diesel-powered buses and trucks. Passenger cars and vans with internal combustion engines will be about SEK 30,000 more expensive based on the original proposal for Euro 7.

According to the study, the EU Commission's cost calculations refer only to direct manufacturing costs for, among other things, equipment and investments. In addition to these direct costs, ACEA claims that the Euro 7 proposal will also entail indirect costs , such as higher fuel consumption. It is estimated that the increase will be as much as 3.5%. It may not sound like much, but for a vehicle's lifetime it means a lot of money – for passenger cars approximately SEK 7,500 and upwards of SEK 230,000 for long-distance trucks.

Sigrid de Vries is Director General of ACEA, and she says:

"The European car industry is determined to further reduce emissions for the benefit of the climate, the environment and health, but the Euro 7 proposal is simply not the right way to do it because it would have an extremely low environmental impact at an extremely high cost."

The Swedish industry organization Mobility Sweden has also had objections. They mainly point to the rules regarding car tires, and say that it is not even possible to measure the type and amount of particles that actually come from the tires. The positive thing about the proposal is that you get a way to set requirements for electric cars.

After studying the proposal, Calle Beckvid, technical coordinator at Mobility Sweden, has sent a referral response to the Swedish government. In it it says:

Mobility Sweden believes that current emissions legislation according to Euro 6/VI has been, and still is, an important tool with the aim of reducing emissions from road traffic. Taking into account the technological development that has taken place since Euro 6/VI was introduced, we believe that there may, however, be reason to update the emission legislation, in certain parts. The proposal, in its current form, risks to a great extent creating conflicting goals in the work to meet the requirements for emission-free light vehicles from 2035, as well as to reduce CO2 emissions from heavy vehicles.

Euro 7 is supposed to enter into force on July 1, 2025. Voting will take place in the EU Parliament at the beginning of November 2023.