Jurisdiction: EU
Commencement: 1st September 2025
Amends: Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 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
Mini Summary
Duties
Manufacturers must ensure vehicles are equipped with advanced safety features. Minimum requirements are set for all new vehicles and supplemented by additional requirements for cars, vans, buses and lorries.
New vehicles
All new vehicles must be equipped with:
- intelligent speed assistance;
- an interface to enable the fitting of an alcohol interlock (breathalyser);
- driver drowsiness and attention warning systems;
- advanced driver distraction warning systems;
- emergency stop signals;
- reversing detection systems;
- event data recorders; and
- accurate tyre pressure monitoring.
Cars and vans
In addition to the safety features required for all new vehicles, cars and vans must also be equipped with:
- emergency braking systems, capable of detecting motor vehicles and vulnerable road users;
- emergency lane-keeping systems; and
- enlarged head-impact protection zones, capable of mitigating injuries in collisions with vulnerable road users.
Buses and lorries
Buses and lorries must be equipped with all the above, and:
- with advanced detection systems for pedestrians and cyclists close to the nearside of the vehicle, warning of their presence and avoiding collisions with them; and
- be built in such a way that will help to reduce blind spots in front of and to the side of the driver.
Amendment
Amendments are made to Annex I and Annex II, updating vehicle safety requirements that manufacturers must comply with, in line with changes made to the UN safety regulations listed below.
- UN Regulation 25 – Head restraints (headrests), whether or not incorporated in vehicle seats.
- UN Regulation 34 – Prevention of fire risks (liquid fuel tanks).
- UN Regulation 79 – Steering equipment.
- UN Regulation 100 – Electric safety.
- UN Regulation 117 – Tyres with regard to rolling sound emissions, adhesion on wet surfaces and rolling resistance (Classes C1, C2 and C3).
- UN Regulation 127 – Pedestrian safety.
- UN Regulation 152 – Advanced Emergency Braking Systems (AEBS).
- UN Regulation 167 – Heavy-duty vehicles direct vision.
- UN Regulation 169 – Event Data Recorder for HDVs.
- UN Regulation 171 – Driver Control Assistance Systems (DCAS).