EU lawmakers have backed draft rules to simplify parts of the bloc’s vehicle rulebook, including measures to support smaller EU-made electric cars and add new safety requirements for cars and vans.
The text was adopted on Wednesday by the Parliament’s Environment, Internal Market and Transport committees, with 105 votes in favour, 39 against and 21 abstentions, the European Parliament informed.
Under the proposals, MEPs agreed to create a new category of “small electric vehicles” — passenger cars up to 4.2 metres long and made in the EU — alongside definitions for “highly efficient” EU-made electric cars and “zero emission vans made in the EU.”
MEPs also backed “targeted support measures” to increase sales of those vehicles, including a “super-credit” mechanism linked to updates of EU CO₂ emissions performance standards.
New safety requirements were also proposed for passenger cars and vans up to 3.5 tonnes, including a child presence detection system that would operate after a vehicle is switched off or locked.
Door handles would also have to be designed so doors can be mechanically opened from inside and outside in emergencies.
Changes to testing and technical rules
The committees proposed a series of changes intended to simplify requirements and testing procedures, including a deadline for the European Commission to adopt technical rules by 31 December 2027 to ensure “smart charging” interoperability between electric vehicles, charging points and the electricity grid.
Electric vans between 3.5 and 4.25 tonnes would be exempt from the obligation to install speed limitation devices, subject to periodic evaluation.
On automated driving, the draft would introduce mutual recognition of national authorisations for testing and deploying automated vehicles, alongside harmonised minimum requirements.
The proposals would also keep the current method for calculating CO₂ emissions from EU-made plug-in hybrid vehicles until the end of 2029, with annual updates from 2030 based on real-world driving data.
A plug-in hybrid is a car that can run on electricity from a rechargeable battery as well as on a conventional engine.
Separately, the application of EURO7 emissions rules for heavy-duty vehicles would be postponed by 18 months, the Parliament said. EURO7 is the EU’s next set of pollutant limits for vehicles.
The European Commission has estimated the wider set of changes would bring annual savings of €706 million for industry, including small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as citizens and government authorities.
The Parliament’s mandate for negotiations with EU governments is expected to be put to a vote during the December 2026 plenary session, it added.
