EU approval and market surveillance measures for motor vehicles and their trailers

SUMMARY OF:

Regulation (EU) 2018/858 — approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE REGULATION?

The regulation sets out EU-wide rules on technical requirements and procedures to ensure that new types of motor vehicles and their trailers conform to EU-approved requirements on safety and environmental protection.
It aims to:
- raise the quality level and independence of vehicle type approval* and testing;
- increase checks of vehicles that are already on the EU market;
- strengthen the overall system with EU oversight.

KEY POINTS

Scope

The regulation applies to:

motor vehicles with at least 4 wheels used for the carriage of passengers (category M);
motor vehicles with at least 4 wheels intended for the transportation of goods (category N);
trailers (category O).

Type approval and testing before a car is placed on the market

Technical services will be regularly and independently audited on the basis of strict performance criteria to obtain and maintain the authority given by EU Member States to test and inspect new vehicle models. The European Commission and other Member States will be able to challenge this authorisation when something is wrong.
National type-approval authorities will be subject to Commission audits to ensure that the relevant rules are implemented and rigorously enforced across the EU.
The Commission’s proposal to modify the remuneration system to avoid technical services being paid directly by the manufacturer was not maintained.

Checks of cars on the market

Pre-existing type-approval rules deal mainly with checks on prototypes taken from the production line; this regulation introduces market surveillance and additionally requires Member States to carry out regular spot-checks on vehicles already on their market and make such results publicly available.
All Member States can now take immediate safeguard measures against non-compliant vehicles on their territory without having to wait for the type approval authority to act.

Oversight

The Commission can carry out market checks independently of Member States and may initiate EU-wide recalls.
It can challenge the designation of technical services and impose administrative penalties on manufacturers or technical services of up to €30,000 per non-compliant vehicle.
The Commission will chair a new enforcement forum to ensure a more uniform interpretation of relevant EU legislation, complete transparency on cases of non-compliance, and better and more coordinated market surveillance activities by Member States.

Manufacturers

In addition to the existing ban on defeat devices which alter performance during testing, manufacturers must provide access to the car’s software protocols to allow for external checks.

Safety requirements and protection of vulnerable road users

Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 amends Regulation (EU) 2018/858 and updates EU type-approval requirements to ensure the general safety of vehicles and the protection of vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists (see summary). It amends Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2018/858 which contains the requirements for the purpose of EU type approval of vehicles, systems, components or separate technical units.

Online data exchange and notification of EU type approvals

The Commission has adopted an implementing act, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1812 which lays down rules on the online data exchange and the notification of EU type approvals under Regulation (EU) 2018/858.

Exchange of the data of the certificate of conformity in electronic format

Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/133 sets out the specifications for the basic format, structure and the means of exchange of the data of the certificate of conformity in electronic format. This is to ensure that certificates of conformity are exchanged between manufacturers and approval authorities in a uniform manner and that the data elements and messages they contain are harmonised.

FROM WHEN DOES THE REGULATION APPLY?

Regulation (EU) 2018/858 has applied since 1 September 2020.
Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 applies from 6 July 2022.
Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1812 has applied since 22 December 2020.
Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/133 applies from 1 January 2023.

BACKGROUND

The EU type-approval directive has been transformed into a directly applicable regulation and reinforced following the discovery that certain manufacturers had incorporated systems to alter the performance of their vehicles during testing (defeat devices).
This reform is part of the Commission’s wider work on the car sector set out in the communication ‘Europe on the move’.
For more information, see:
- Technical harmonisation in the EU (European Commission).

KEY TERMS

Type approval: procedure whereby an approval authority certifies that a type of vehicle, system, component or separate technical unit meets the relevant administrative rules and technical requirements.

MAIN DOCUMENT

Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles, amending Regulations (EC) No 715/2007 and (EC) No 595/2009 and repealing Directive 2007/46/EC (OJ L 151, 14.6.2018, pp. 1-218)

Successive amendments to Regulation (EU) No 536/2014 have been incorporated into the original text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.

RELATED DOCUMENTS

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/133 of 4 February 2021 implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the basic format, structure and the means of exchange of the data of the certificate of conformity in electronic format (OJ L 42, 5.2.2021, pp. 1-3)

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1812 of 1 December 2020 laying down rules on the online data exchange and the notification of EU type-approvals under Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 404, 2.12.2020, pp. 5-8)

Successive amendments to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1812 have been incorporated into the original text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.

Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on type-approval requirements for motor vehicles and their trailers, and systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles, as regards their general safety and the protection of vehicle occupants and vulnerable road users, amending Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Regulations (EC) No 78/2009, (EC) No 79/2009 and (EC) No 661/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Commission Regulations (EC) No 631/2009, (EU) No 406/2010, (EU) No 672/2010, (EU) No 1003/2010, (EU) No 1005/2010, (EU) No 1008/2010, (EU) No 1009/2010, (EU) No 19/2011, (EU) No 109/2011, (EU) No 458/2011, (EU) No 65/2012, (EU) No 130/2012, (EU) No 347/2012, (EU) No 351/2012, (EU) No 1230/2012 and (EU) 2015/166 (OJ L 325, 16.12.2019, pp. 1-40)

See consolidated version.

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions — Europe on the move – Sustainable mobility for Europe: safe, connected, and clean (COM(2018) 293 final, 17.5.2018)

last update 30.07.2023