Content updated 22 February 2023.

EU regulations for light- and heavy-duty vehicles 

Regulation (EU) 2019/631 on emission performance standards for cars and vans  entered into force in 2020 and sets CO₂  emission performance standards for new passenger cars and vans. With the European Commission’s ‘Fit for 55’ package, a proposal amending the 2019/631 Directive with updated targets, was submitted. View more about the revised regulation here .

Regulation (EU) 2019/1242 on emission performance standards for new heavy-duty vehicles sets CO₂emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles, with targets for reducing the average emissions from new lorries for 2025.

EU policies aim to reduce the adverse effects of transport by shifting to the least polluting and most efficient modes. Emissions are targeted in two ways:

• the improvement of energy efficiency, and
• the increase of the share of renewable and low-carbon fuels.

Light-duty vehicles

Regulation (EU) 2019/631 sets CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and vans. It sets EU fleet-wide CO2 emission targets applying from 2020, 2025 and 2030. It includes a mechanism to incentivise the uptake of zero- and low-emission vehicles. The targets are defined as a percentage reduction from the 2021 starting points:

• Cars: 15% reduction from 2025 on and 37.5% reduction from 2030.
• Vans: 15% reduction from 2025 on and 31% reduction from 2030.

The annual specific emission targets of each manufacturer will be based on these EU fleet-wide targets, taking into account the average test mass of its newly registered vehicles.

With the Fit for 55 package, a proposal amending the 2019/631 Directive with updated targets, was submitted. It included the following EU fleet-wide CO₂ emission reduction targets for new passenger cars and vans (compared to the 2021 target):

• From 1 January 2030: 55% for cars, and 50% for vans,
• From 1 January 2035: 100% for cars, and 100% for vans.

As the new target started being applied in 2020, the average CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars in the EU have decreased by 12% compared to the previous year and the share of electric cars has tripled.

CO₂ labelling of cars

To help drivers choose new cars with low fuel consumption, EU legislation

The Car labelling Directive, Directive 1999/94/EC, requires Member States to ensure that relevant information is provided to consumers, including a label showing a car's fuel efficiency and CO₂ emissions.

Heavy-duty vehicles

Heavy-duty vehicles – trucks and buses – are responsible for about 25% of CO₂ emissions from road transport in the EU and for some 6% of total EU emissions. These emissions are still rising, mainly due to increasing road freight traffic, despite improvements in fuel consumption efficiency in recent years.

The first-ever EU-wide CO₂ emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles, adopted in 2019, set targets for reducing the average emissions from new lorries for 2025 and 2030.

The Regulation (EU) 2019/1242 sets CO₂ emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles. It also includes a mechanism to incentivise the uptake of zero- and low-emission vehicles, in a technology-neutral way.

The targets are expressed as a percentage reduction of emissions compared to EU average in the reference period (1 July 2019–30 June 2020):

• from 2025 onwards: 15% reduction
• from 2030 onwards: 30% reduction.

The 2030 target will be assessed as part of the review of the regulation, aiming to assess the extension of the scope to other vehicle types such as smaller lorries, buses, coaches and trailers.