ELV — End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation
Circularity Vehicle Passport for all motor vehicles. Mandatory recycled plastics targets and EU-wide Extended Producer Responsibility for end-of-life vehicles.
Overview
The End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation revision merges the ELV Directive 2000/53/EC and the 3R Type-Approval Directive 2005/64/EC into a single regulation. It introduces a mandatory Circularity Vehicle Passport — the automotive-sector Digital Product Passport.
Status
This regulation is pending formal adoption and Official Journal publication. Key milestones:
- Commission proposal (COM(2023) 451 final): 13 July 2023
- Provisional trilogue agreement: 12 December 2025 (Council and Parliament reached agreement; Council press release published same day)
- Formal adoption and OJ publication: Pending as of March 2026 — legal text requires formal vote and publication before entry into force
All dates and targets below are based on the provisionally agreed text. They are subject to revision when the final text is published in the Official Journal. Norruva will update this page when formal adoption occurs.
Circularity Vehicle Passport
A mandatory digital passport for motor vehicles containing:
- CO2 emissions (WLTP measured)
- Energy consumption data
- Battery health metrics (for EVs/hybrids)
- Lifecycle environmental impacts (LCA data)
- Recyclability data (recycled content, recyclability percentage)
- Material composition (hazardous materials, critical raw materials)
- Parts availability and repairability information
Key new requirements
Recycled plastics target: New vehicles must contain at least 15% recycled plastics from post-consumer waste (6 years after entry into force), increasing to 25% (10 years after entry into force), with 25% of that 25% sourced from recycled ELVs.
Extended Producer Responsibility: EU-wide EPR system for end-of-life vehicles, mandatory 3 years after entry into force.
Parts and reuse: Stronger rules on spare parts reuse, vehicle collection and treatment requirements.
Interaction with Battery Regulation
The ELV and Battery Regulation DPPs must interoperate:
- EV Battery Passport (mandatory Feb 2027) feeds data into Circularity Vehicle Passport
- Both use QR code / GS1 Digital Link infrastructure
- Battery health and lifecycle data from Battery Passport incorporated into vehicle passport
Who is affected
- Vehicle manufacturers (OEMs): Obligated to create and maintain Circularity Vehicle Passports; must meet recycled plastics content targets; responsible for EPR scheme contributions
- Vehicle dismantlers (authorised treatment facilities): Must meet enhanced treatment standards; recover and report materials to feed EPR and recycled content tracking
- Recyclers: Must achieve specified material recovery targets; recycled content from ELVs feeds into the 25%-of-the-25% recycled plastics target for new vehicles
- Vehicle importers: Responsible for EPR obligations for vehicles they place on the EU market
- Exporters of used vehicles: Subject to new ELV status criteria — a vehicle meeting the ELV definition cannot be exported as a used vehicle
Penalties and enforcement
The penalty framework is to be confirmed in the final published text. The provisional agreement included provisions for:
- Increased fines for "missing ELVs" — vehicles that cannot be accounted for through the authorised treatment facility network
- Export violation penalties for attempting to export ELVs as used vehicles
- Member States set specific fine amounts; must be effective, proportionate, and dissuasive
- EPR non-compliance consequences include registration denial and market access restrictions
Key dates
| Date | Milestone | |------|-----------| | 13 July 2023 | Commission proposal (COM(2023) 451 final) | | 12 December 2025 | Provisional trilogue agreement | | Pending | Formal adoption and OJ publication | | 3 years after entry into force | Extended Producer Responsibility mandatory | | 6 years after entry into force | Minimum 15% recycled plastics in new vehicles | | 72 months after entry into force | Circularity Vehicle Passport mandatory | | 10 years after entry into force | Minimum 25% recycled plastics in new vehicles (25% from recycled ELVs) |