ELV — End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation
Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 on vehicle circularity and end-of-life vehicles. Applies from 1 September 2028; Digital Circularity Vehicle Passport required from 1 September 2032; recycled-plastic minimums for new vehicle types from 2032 and 2036.
Overview
Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 on circularity requirements for vehicle design and on management of end-of-life vehicles replaces the End-of-Life Vehicles Directive 2000/53/EC and the 3R Type-Approval Directive 2005/64/EC with a single, directly applicable regulation. It also amends Regulations (EU) No 168/2013, (EU) 2018/858, (EU) 2019/1020 and (EU) 2023/1542 (the Battery Regulation).
It introduces the Digital Circularity Vehicle Passport (Article 13), the automotive sector's product passport, alongside minimum recycled-plastic content for new vehicle types and new rules on vehicle design, dismantling and treatment.
Status
The Regulation is adopted and in force.
- Commission proposal (COM(2023) 451 final): 13 July 2023
- Provisional agreement: 12 December 2025
- Adopted: 8 July 2026 (Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 of 8 July 2026)
- Published in the Official Journal: 24 July 2026
- Entered into force: 13 August 2026
- Applies generally from: 1 September 2028 (Art 59(2))
Article 59 staggers application. Most of the Regulation applies from 1 September 2028. Article 53 has applied since 13 August 2026. A defined list of provisions, including the Commission's power to adopt the passport implementing acts (Art 13(6)), has applied since 14 September 2026. Article 55 applies from 1 September 2032.
On 22 September 2026 the Council issued a corrigendum to the Italian-language version (Annex VIII, Part G, point 2(d)). The English text is unaffected.
Digital Circularity Vehicle Passport
Article 13(1): "From 1 September 2032, each vehicle placed on the market shall have a Digital Circularity Vehicle Passport". The passport must be "aligned, interoperable and, where possible, integrated" with other vehicle-related environmental passports under EU law, in particular:
- the battery passport under Article 77 of the Battery Regulation (EU) 2023/1542
- the passport referred to in Article 3, point (68), of Regulation (EU) 2024/1257
- other relevant passports established under the ESPR, Regulation (EU) 2024/1781
The detailed technical design and operation of the passport will be set by Commission implementing acts, due by 14 August 2030 (Art 13(6)). Until those acts are adopted, the exact data fields and access rules are not fixed. This page will list them once they are published.
Recycled content
Plastics (Art 6). The plastic in each new vehicle type must contain a minimum share of plastic recycled from post-consumer plastic waste, by weight:
| Vehicle types type-approved from | Minimum recycled plastic |
|---|---|
| 1 September 2032 | 15% |
| 1 September 2036 | 25% |
At least 20% of the target must come from plastics recycled from end-of-life vehicles, or from parts and components removed from vehicles during the use phase (Art 6(2)).
- Recycling carried out in third-country installations counts only from 14 August 2030, and only where Annex XIII is met (Art 6(4)).
- The Commission must adopt an implementing act on the calculation and verification methodology by 31 August 2028 (Art 6(5)).
Steel and aluminium. The Commission must assess the feasibility of recycled-content targets for steel and aluminium by 30 September 2027. A delegated act setting a recycled-steel share is due by 30 September 2028, applying no later than 14 August 2033 (Art 6(7)–(8)).
Interaction with the Battery Regulation
The EV battery passport is required from 18 February 2027 under Article 77 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542. The vehicle passport follows from 1 September 2032 and must be aligned and interoperable with it, and integrated where possible (Art 13(1)). Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 also amends the Battery Regulation directly.
For vehicle manufacturers, the battery passport is the first vehicle-related passport obligation. Data architecture built for it in 2027 should anticipate the vehicle passport's interoperability requirement.
Who is affected
- Vehicle manufacturers: vehicle passport from 1 September 2032; recycled-plastic minimums for new vehicle types type-approved from 1 September 2032 and 1 September 2036
- Suppliers of plastic parts and recyclates: evidence of recycled content, including the share recycled from end-of-life vehicles, to support manufacturers' Art 6 compliance
- Authorised treatment facilities and recyclers: treatment requirements in the Regulation's annexes, and the source of the closed-loop plastic that counts towards the Art 6(2) share
- Importers of vehicles placed on the EU market
Penalties and enforcement
The design requirements are tied to vehicle type approval, which is why the Regulation amends the type-approval framework (Regulation (EU) 2018/858) and the market surveillance Regulation (EU) 2019/1020. Norruva has not yet reviewed the adopted text's penalty provisions line by line. This section will be completed after that review.
Key dates
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 13 July 2023 | Commission proposal (COM(2023) 451 final) |
| 12 December 2025 | Provisional agreement |
| 8 July 2026 | Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 adopted |
| 24 July 2026 | Published in the Official Journal |
| 13 August 2026 | Enters into force; Article 53 applies |
| 14 September 2026 | Listed provisions, including the Commission's implementing powers, apply |
| 30 September 2027 | Commission feasibility assessments on recycled steel and aluminium |
| 31 August 2028 | Implementing act on the recycled-plastic calculation methodology due |
| 1 September 2028 | Regulation applies generally |
| 30 September 2028 | Delegated act on recycled-steel share due |
| 14 August 2030 | Implementing acts on the vehicle passport due; third-country recycling can count towards plastic targets |
| 1 September 2032 | Digital Circularity Vehicle Passport required; 15% recycled plastic for new vehicle types |
| 14 August 2033 | Latest application date for the recycled-steel share |
| 1 September 2036 | 25% recycled plastic for new vehicle types |