What Euro 7 means for the commercial transport industry

By Pavan Jheeta
in house emissions testing

With less than a year to go before the Euro 7 standards come into effect for cars, vehicle-based businesses are already putting plans in place for their vehicles and their equipment.

And with heavy-goods vehicles just a couple of years down the line, the countdown is ticking for fleets and workshops, too.

Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming Euro 7 regulations — and what they mean for the industry as a whole:

 

When do the Euro 7 standards start?

The new Euro 7 emission standards mark the first time where both cars and heavy goods vehicles will come under the same set of regulations.

But despite this merging between the two, the EU has set two different start dates for the different types of vehicles.

Under the Euro 7 standards, new vehicles will need to be compliant from:

  • 1 July 2025 for cars and vans
  • 1 July 2027 for heavy-duty vehicles.

In most cases, that’s good news for fleet operators. They’ll have an extra two years to bring their fleets up to scratch — squeezing more value out of their current investments in the vehicles they’re using now.

But for some businesses, that might make things difficult:

If you were planning to upgrade your fleets between 2025 and 2027, you might now need to push back those upgrade plans while you wait for the right tech and improvements to come along.

 

What’s new compared to Euro 6?

As we all expected, the Euro 7 regulations will continue along the same trend of previous versions: a tightening of emission limits that aims to reduce the environmental impact of vehicles on the road.

But this new set of standards is coming with some new regulations, as well. With Euro 7, new vehicles will now need to:

  • Limit the particle emissions from brakes and tyres
  • Test their EV batteries for longevity
  • Stay cleaner for longer — with checking periods doubled from 5 years to 10 years.

 

How will these affect the transport industry?

The impact of these new measures will mostly land on the vehicle manufacturers themselves. But the challenges and effects will cascade down through the industry, eventually affecting fleet operators and workshops, too.

Here’s what we can expect from the new Euro 7 standards:

 

Brake and tyre emissions

Euro 7 is introducing new measures to limit the particle and dust emissions from brakes and tyres.

But the effect of this change is likely to depend on the specific solution that manufacturers come up with:

That could mean a new braking system that traps and collects particles and dust — leading to more maintenance for workshops and fleets as they regularly remove and change filters and containers.

Or it could mean using tougher materials for the brake pads and discs — materials that can hit the same safety standards in braking, while losing less material to friction.

In either case, you can expect this new tech to come with increased costs:

Manufacturers will be spending more on both R&D and materials and components, which will likely be passed on to fleet operators in the sale price of new vehicles.

And fleet operators will be looking at their own increased costs — either through more frequent maintenance, or through new tools and equipment to maintain and repair the new tech in their vehicles’ brakes and tyres.

 

Battery longevity

Despite EVs being championed as an environmentally friendly advance, regulations around the batteries are now becoming stricter.

Under the Euro 7 standards, electric vehicle batteries will need to show that they can retain a percentage of their storage capability after a number of years.

And that means the pressure is on for manufacturers to find affordable solutions.

For fleets and workshops using heavy-duty vehicles, this new regulation is unlikely to have a huge impact. There simply aren’t that many heavy-duty electric vehicles out on the roads.

But for fleets that use EVs, they can expect a higher sale price on new vehicles after 2027, as well as the increased costs of extra testing to make sure their batteries are healthy for longer.

Long-term clean vehicles

The push for longevity isn’t just limited to EVs: petrol and diesel vehicles are under new regulations, too.

The Euro 7 regulations include a doubling of the previous checking period. Where vehicles previously needed to stay compliant for up to 5 years and 100,000km, vehicles will now need to last up to 10 years and 200,000km.

To monitor this, manufacturers will also have to fit new vehicles with electric sensors to detect engine faults that might cause emissions to rise.

And just like the other new tech, that means increased costs for manufacturers which get passed on to fleets through the sale price of new vehicles.

 

So what does it all mean?

The Euro 7 regulations are yet to be finalised. But we can safely assume that we’re looking at tighter emission limits, and brand-new tech in vehicles sold after 2027.

For fleet operators and workshops, that means higher sale prices, more maintenance and associated costs — and could mean entirely new workshop equipment designed for the new components in modern vehicles.

So if you’ve been looking at upgrades for your workshop — but you’re not sure how to futureproof your investment — our team of workshop equipment experts is ready and waiting to give you the advice you need.