Right to Repair Directive
EU-wide right to repair for consumer products. A manufacturer's obligation to repair, mandatory spare parts access, and extended guarantees when choosing repair over replacement.
Overview
The Right to Repair Directive — Directive (EU) 2024/1799 — establishes common EU rules promoting the repair of consumer goods, including a manufacturer's obligation to repair, spare parts access, and extended guarantees.
Legal basis
- Proposed: 22 March 2023
- Adopted: 13 June 2024
- Entered into force: 30 July 2024
- Member state transposition: 31 July 2026
Products covered
The obligation to repair covers goods for which the Union acts listed in Annex II set repairability requirements:
- Household washing machines, washer-dryers, dishwashers
- Refrigerating appliances
- Electronic displays
- Welding equipment
- Vacuum cleaners
- Servers and data storage products
- Mobile phones, cordless phones, slate tablets
- Household tumble dryers
- Goods incorporating LMT batteries (e-bikes, e-scooters)
- Domestic local space heaters, added by Delegated Directive (EU) 2026/74
Key obligations
Manufacturers must:
- Repair covered products within a reasonable time and for a reasonable price
- Provide access to spare parts, tools, and repair information
- Not use design or software barriers to prevent repair
- Keep to the terms of a European Repair Information Form (ERIF) for 30 days if they issue one; repairers may offer the form but are not required to (Art. 4)
Consumer rights:
- Extended legal guarantee (+1 year) when product is repaired instead of replaced
- Repairability information before purchase
- Access to independent repairers and refurbishers
Repairability label
From 20 June 2025: the EU energy label for smartphones and slate tablets shows a repairability class from A to E. This comes from Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/1669 on energy labelling, not from this Directive or from ESPR.
Who is affected
- Manufacturers of products listed in Annex II (washing machines, washer-dryers, dishwashers, refrigerating appliances, electronic displays, welding equipment, vacuum cleaners, servers and data storage products, mobile phones, cordless phones, slate tablets, household tumble dryers, goods incorporating LMT batteries, domestic local space heaters)
- Importers placing Annex II products on the EU market under their own name or trademark
- Authorised representatives of non-EU manufacturers
- Independent repair service providers who gain rights to access spare parts and technical information
- Online platforms facilitating repair connections through the European Repair Platform
Penalties and enforcement
Member States must establish effective, proportionate, and dissuasive penalties and notify the Commission by 31 July 2026. No EU-harmonised fine amounts are specified in the directive.
National enforcement authorities are responsible for:
- Market surveillance of manufacturer compliance with repair obligations
- Verifying access to spare parts and repair information
- Enforcement of the prohibition on software or hardware barriers to repair
The Commission must review the directive's application by 31 July 2031.
Enforcement status: on 25 September 2026 the Commission sent letters of formal notice to 18 Member States over transposition of the Directive, which was due by 31 July 2026: Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden. Letters over Delegated Directive (EU) 2026/74 went to the same group, with Finland instead of Croatia.
European Repair Information Form (ERIF) and European Repair Platform
ERIF: Any repairer, including a manufacturer, may give consumers a standardised European Repair Information Form setting out the price and conditions of the repair. Offering it is optional, but once it is given, the repairer cannot change those conditions for 30 calendar days (Article 4). This allows consumers to compare repair options.
European Repair Platform: An online tool connecting consumers with independent repairers and refurbishers, listed by product category, geography, and repair type. Under Article 7(2) and (3), the Commission must develop the platform's common online interface by 31 July 2027, and Member States must ensure their national online platforms are operational by the same date.
Relevance to DPP
- Repairability data becomes a DPP field for a product group only where its ESPR delegated act requires it; as of 11 October 2026 no ESPR product-specific delegated act has been adopted
- Spare parts availability information in DPP supports the repair market
- ESPR delegated acts can require a repairability score (ESPR Article 7(2)(b)(i))
Key dates
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 30 July 2024 | Entered into force |
| 20 June 2025 | Repairability Label for smartphones/tablets |
| 12 January 2026 | Delegated Directive (EU) 2026/74 adds domestic local space heaters to Annex II (published in the OJ on 20 April 2026) |
| 31 July 2026 | Member state transposition and application |
| 25 September 2026 | Letters of formal notice to 18 Member States over transposition |
| 31 July 2027 | European online platform for repair: Commission common interface and national platforms due (Art. 7(2) and (3)) |