New cars in the EU will have to contain at least 15% recycled plastic from 2032
Liviu Brăteanu
EU
Foto: Pixabay
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Newly approved vehicles in the European Union from September 1, 2032, will need to contain at least 15% recycled plastic, and the threshold will increase to 25% from 2036, under new rules that change the way vehicles are designed, repaired, dismantled, recycled, and taken out of circulation.
In short, the regulation comes into force on August 13, 2026, but most of the new obligations will apply from September 1, 2028, and will be gradually extended in the following years. The plastic used in the new types of vehicles will need to contain a minimum of 15% recycled material from post-consumer waste from September 2032 and a minimum of 25% from September 2036. At least 20% of the recycled plastic content must come from end-of-life vehicles or from parts removed during the usage period, to create a closed loop in the automotive industry. From September 2031, used vehicles will only be able to be exported outside the EU if they are not end-of-life vehicles and are roadworthy, except for vehicles recognized as having special cultural interest. Manufacturers will bear a larger share of the costs of collecting and treating end-of-life vehicles, and the new rules will gradually extend to trucks, buses, motorcycles, and other categories of vehicles.
The European Union is introducing for the first time obligations regarding the minimum amount of recycled plastic that must be used in the manufacture of vehicles, in a reform aimed at keeping more materials in the European economy and reducing the use of imported virgin raw materials.
The regulation comes into force on August 13, 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. The entry into force does not mean that all obligations become immediately applicable. The general framework will start to apply from September 1, 2028, and more requirements will be introduced later, until the years 2030.
One of the most important changes concerns the plastic used in cars. Each new type of vehicle approved from September 1, 2032, will need to contain a minimum of 15% recycled plastic, calculated based on the weight of the plastic material and derived from post-consumer waste.
For new types of vehicles approved from September 1, 2036, the minimum proportion will increase to 25%.
At least 20% of the required amount to meet the first target must come from recycled plastic from end-of-life vehicles or from parts and components removed from vehicles during the usage period.
The obligation aims to create a market for recovered plastic from the automotive industry and to reuse it in the production of new vehicles. The regulation excludes certain materials from the calculation, including elastomers from tires and some thermosetting plastics.
The Commission may introduce temporary exemptions if certain categories of recycled plastic are not available in sufficient quantities or if prices become so high that meeting the targets would become excessively difficult.
The new rules also prepare for the introduction of thresholds for other important materials. The Commission must establish minimum requirements for recycled glass and recycled aluminum after conducting assessments regarding material availability, industry capacity, and economic effects.
For glass, the Commission must analyze by September 2027 the feasibility of a minimum quota and subsequently adopt the necessary rules. For aluminum, the European act provides for the establishment of a minimum quota and a date of application that cannot be later than August 2033.
The regulation also allows for subsequent assessments of targets for magnesium and critical raw materials, depending on the evolution of recycling technologies and material availability.
The European Commissioner for the Environment, Water Resilience, and a Competitive Circular Economy, Jessika Roswall, stated that the change aims to integrate recycling into the entire design and production process of cars.
"The new Regulation on end-of-life vehicles establishes a new European standard for how vehicles must be designed, produced, and recovered. It is about more than just recycling – it is about securing critical materials and transforming our automotive sector into a truly circular one. Every dismantled car, every ton of recovered glass, aluminum, copper, or plastic represents a step towards a more resilient Europe," said Roswall.
Another change begins before the car reaches recycling. Manufacturers will need to design vehicles so that relevant parts and components can be removed more easily by authorized treatment facilities.
The goal is for parts to be replaceable, reusable, recyclable, refurbished, or remanufactured wherever technically feasible.
For new types of vehicles approved from September 1, 2032, the design cannot prevent the removal of parts and components identified in the regulation. Electric vehicle batteries, their packs, and traction electric motors must be removable and replaceable without unnecessary destruction.
Manufacturers will need to provide operators with detailed information on how components can be removed and replaced both during use and after the vehicle becomes waste.
This obligation aims to allow workshops, dismantlers, and recyclers to retain more value from the vehicle before materials reach shredding and recycling.
The regulation also seeks to increase the availability of second-hand parts. Member states will need to promote the reuse, remanufacturing, upgrading, and refurbishing of parts and components starting from September 2029.
In the treatment of vehicles, there will continue to be targets regarding the amount recovered. From 2030, at least 95% of the average weight of a vehicle, excluding batteries, must be reused or recovered, and at least 85% must be reused or recycled.
From 2032, there will also be a separate target for plastic from end-of-life vehicles. Operators must recycle at least 30% of the average weight of the plastic contained in treated vehicles annually, with exclusions provided for certain materials.
The financial responsibility of manufacturers will also be extended. Manufacturers or organizations created in their name will need to contribute to the costs of collecting, transporting, and treating end-of-life vehicles.
The extended producer responsibility system aims to link the final cost of recycling to decisions made during the design phase. A vehicle that can be dismantled more easily and whose materials can be recovered more efficiently should generate lower costs and materials with higher value.
The Executive Vice President of the Commission for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, Stéphane Séjourné, linked the new rules to European economic security.
"The Regulation on end-of-life vehicles is not just about waste; it is about resilience and the industrial future of Europe. It helps us reduce dependencies on external suppliers, strengthens Europe's economic security, and retains strategic resources in the EU. This is not just good environmental policy – it is pragmatic industrial policy," said Séjourné.
An important part of the reform concerns vehicles that disappear from the European circuit without clear information on how they have been treated. The regulation introduces additional requirements for vehicle traceability and common criteria to differentiate a used vehicle from a vehicle that has actually reached the end of its life.
In the case of a vehicle involved in an accident, the insurance company or the expert assessing the damages will need to determine whether the vehicle meets the criteria to be considered an end-of-life vehicle.
Authorities will be able to request from the owner documents that demonstrate that a vehicle in question is not an end-of-life vehicle. Proof can be an assessment of the vehicle's condition or a valid certificate regarding roadworthiness.
For ownership transfers within the EU, obligations are broader for dealers than for individuals. Economic operators selling used vehicles will need to demonstrate to the buyer that the car is not an end-of-life vehicle.
For ordinary transactions between individuals, this documentation will generally not be required. The obligation arises if the car has been declared a total economic loss or if the sale is made entirely through an online platform without the physical transfer of the vehicle between seller and buyer.
The regulation also tightens the export of used cars to countries outside the EU. The new controls will apply from September 1, 2031.
From that date, a vehicle can only be exported if it is not classified as an end-of-life vehicle and is roadworthy at the time of the export declaration. Vehicles officially recognized as having special cultural interest benefit from an exemption from the roadworthiness requirement.
For each exported vehicle, customs authorities will have access to the vehicle identification number and the member state in which it was last registered, as well as information confirming its condition.
Checks will become electronic, by connecting customs systems with the relevant registers. If the information does not confirm that the vehicle meets the conditions, it will not be released for export.
The measure aims to prevent the export of vehicles that are actually waste under the guise of second-hand cars, a situation that can transfer the costs of dismantling and pollution to countries with weaker waste treatment systems.
The new rules are not limited to cars and vans. Their scope will gradually extend to special vehicles, trucks, buses, trailers, motorcycles, and other vehicles in categories provided for by European legislation.
For trucks, buses, and several categories of heavy vehicles, as well as for motorcycles, the general extension is planned from September 1, 2031, although not all obligations will apply identically to each category.
The Commission estimates that between 10 and 12 million vehicles reach the end of their life annually in Europe. These vehicles contain significant quantities of glass, aluminum, copper, plastic, and other materials that can be recovered.
The automotive sector is one of the major consumers of raw materials in Europe. Before the adoption of the regulation, vehicle recycling had reached about 85% of the materials they contain, but a large part was represented by shredded metals, and only about 19% of the plastic from end-of-life vehicles was recycled.
The new obligations aim for higher quality recycling, where materials are separated well enough to be returned to industrial production, instead of being used in lower-value applications or disposed of.
The regulation replaces the framework primarily built around the 2000 Directive on end-of-life vehicles and the 2005 Directive on the reuse, recycling, and recovery of vehicles. The main provisions of the new framework will start to apply from September 1, 2028, and the old norms will be gradually withdrawn.
The European Parliament approved the final form on June 18, 2026, with 437 votes in favor, 112 against, and 20 abstentions, and the Council adopted the regulation on June 29. The act was signed on July 8 and published in the Official Journal on July 24.
In short, the regulation comes into force on August 13, 2026, but most of the new obligations will apply from September 1, 2028, and will be gradually extended in the following years. The plastic used in the new types of vehicles will need to contain a minimum of 15% recycled material from post-consumer waste from September 2032 and a minimum of 25% from September 2036. At least 20% of the recycled plastic content must come from end-of-life vehicles or from parts removed during the usage period, to create a closed loop in the automotive industry. From September 2031, used vehicles will only be able to be exported outside the EU if they are not end-of-life vehicles and are roadworthy, except for vehicles recognized as having special cultural interest. Manufacturers will bear a larger share of the costs of collecting and treating end-of-life vehicles, and the new rules will gradually extend to trucks, buses, motorcycles, and other categories of vehicles.
The European Union is introducing for the first time obligations regarding the minimum amount of recycled plastic that must be used in the manufacture of vehicles, in a reform aimed at keeping more materials in the European economy and reducing the use of imported virgin raw materials.
The regulation comes into force on August 13, 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. The entry into force does not mean that all obligations become immediately applicable. The general framework will start to apply from September 1, 2028, and more requirements will be introduced later, until the years 2030.
One of the most important changes concerns the plastic used in cars. Each new type of vehicle approved from September 1, 2032, will need to contain a minimum of 15% recycled plastic, calculated based on the weight of the plastic material and derived from post-consumer waste.
For new types of vehicles approved from September 1, 2036, the minimum proportion will increase to 25%.
At least 20% of the required amount to meet the first target must come from recycled plastic from end-of-life vehicles or from parts and components removed from vehicles during the usage period.
The obligation aims to create a market for recovered plastic from the automotive industry and to reuse it in the production of new vehicles. The regulation excludes certain materials from the calculation, including elastomers from tires and some thermosetting plastics.
The Commission may introduce temporary exemptions if certain categories of recycled plastic are not available in sufficient quantities or if prices become so high that meeting the targets would become excessively difficult.
The new rules also prepare for the introduction of thresholds for other important materials. The Commission must establish minimum requirements for recycled glass and recycled aluminum after conducting assessments regarding material availability, industry capacity, and economic effects.
For glass, the Commission must analyze by September 2027 the feasibility of a minimum quota and subsequently adopt the necessary rules. For aluminum, the European act provides for the establishment of a minimum quota and a date of application that cannot be later than August 2033.
The regulation also allows for subsequent assessments of targets for magnesium and critical raw materials, depending on the evolution of recycling technologies and material availability.
The European Commissioner for the Environment, Water Resilience, and a Competitive Circular Economy, Jessika Roswall, stated that the change aims to integrate recycling into the entire design and production process of cars.
"The new Regulation on end-of-life vehicles establishes a new European standard for how vehicles must be designed, produced, and recovered. It is about more than just recycling – it is about securing critical materials and transforming our automotive sector into a truly circular one. Every dismantled car, every ton of recovered glass, aluminum, copper, or plastic represents a step towards a more resilient Europe," said Roswall.
Another change begins before the car reaches recycling. Manufacturers will need to design vehicles so that relevant parts and components can be removed more easily by authorized treatment facilities.
The goal is for parts to be replaceable, reusable, recyclable, refurbished, or remanufactured wherever technically feasible.
For new types of vehicles approved from September 1, 2032, the design cannot prevent the removal of parts and components identified in the regulation. Electric vehicle batteries, their packs, and traction electric motors must be removable and replaceable without unnecessary destruction.
Manufacturers will need to provide operators with detailed information on how components can be removed and replaced both during use and after the vehicle becomes waste.
This obligation aims to allow workshops, dismantlers, and recyclers to retain more value from the vehicle before materials reach shredding and recycling.
The regulation also seeks to increase the availability of second-hand parts. Member states will need to promote the reuse, remanufacturing, upgrading, and refurbishing of parts and components starting from September 2029.
In the treatment of vehicles, there will continue to be targets regarding the amount recovered. From 2030, at least 95% of the average weight of a vehicle, excluding batteries, must be reused or recovered, and at least 85% must be reused or recycled.
From 2032, there will also be a separate target for plastic from end-of-life vehicles. Operators must recycle at least 30% of the average weight of the plastic contained in treated vehicles annually, with exclusions provided for certain materials.
The financial responsibility of manufacturers will also be extended. Manufacturers or organizations created in their name will need to contribute to the costs of collecting, transporting, and treating end-of-life vehicles.
The extended producer responsibility system aims to link the final cost of recycling to decisions made during the design phase. A vehicle that can be dismantled more easily and whose materials can be recovered more efficiently should generate lower costs and materials with higher value.
The Executive Vice President of the Commission for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, Stéphane Séjourné, linked the new rules to European economic security.
"The Regulation on end-of-life vehicles is not just about waste; it is about resilience and the industrial future of Europe. It helps us reduce dependencies on external suppliers, strengthens Europe's economic security, and retains strategic resources in the EU. This is not just good environmental policy – it is pragmatic industrial policy," said Séjourné.
An important part of the reform concerns vehicles that disappear from the European circuit without clear information on how they have been treated. The regulation introduces additional requirements for vehicle traceability and common criteria to differentiate a used vehicle from a vehicle that has actually reached the end of its life.
In the case of a vehicle involved in an accident, the insurance company or the expert assessing the damages will need to determine whether the vehicle meets the criteria to be considered an end-of-life vehicle.
Authorities will be able to request from the owner documents that demonstrate that a vehicle in question is not an end-of-life vehicle. Proof can be an assessment of the vehicle's condition or a valid certificate regarding roadworthiness.
For ownership transfers within the EU, obligations are broader for dealers than for individuals. Economic operators selling used vehicles will need to demonstrate to the buyer that the car is not an end-of-life vehicle.
For ordinary transactions between individuals, this documentation will generally not be required. The obligation arises if the car has been declared a total economic loss or if the sale is made entirely through an online platform without the physical transfer of the vehicle between seller and buyer.
The regulation also tightens the export of used cars to countries outside the EU. The new controls will apply from September 1, 2031.
From that date, a vehicle can only be exported if it is not classified as an end-of-life vehicle and is roadworthy at the time of the export declaration. Vehicles officially recognized as having special cultural interest benefit from an exemption from the roadworthiness requirement.
For each exported vehicle, customs authorities will have access to the vehicle identification number and the member state in which it was last registered, as well as information confirming its condition.
Checks will become electronic, by connecting customs systems with the relevant registers. If the information does not confirm that the vehicle meets the conditions, it will not be released for export.
The measure aims to prevent the export of vehicles that are actually waste under the guise of second-hand cars, a situation that can transfer the costs of dismantling and pollution to countries with weaker waste treatment systems.
The new rules are not limited to cars and vans. Their scope will gradually extend to special vehicles, trucks, buses, trailers, motorcycles, and other vehicles in categories provided for by European legislation.
For trucks, buses, and several categories of heavy vehicles, as well as for motorcycles, the general extension is planned from September 1, 2031, although not all obligations will apply identically to each category.
The Commission estimates that between 10 and 12 million vehicles reach the end of their life annually in Europe. These vehicles contain significant quantities of glass, aluminum, copper, plastic, and other materials that can be recovered.
The automotive sector is one of the major consumers of raw materials in Europe. Before the adoption of the regulation, vehicle recycling had reached about 85% of the materials they contain, but a large part was represented by shredded metals, and only about 19% of the plastic from end-of-life vehicles was recycled.
The new obligations aim for higher quality recycling, where materials are separated well enough to be returned to industrial production, instead of being used in lower-value applications or disposed of.
The regulation replaces the framework primarily built around the 2000 Directive on end-of-life vehicles and the 2005 Directive on the reuse, recycling, and recovery of vehicles. The main provisions of the new framework will start to apply from September 1, 2028, and the old norms will be gradually withdrawn.
The European Parliament approved the final form on June 18, 2026, with 437 votes in favor, 112 against, and 20 abstentions, and the Council adopted the regulation on June 29. The act was signed on July 8 and published in the Official Journal on July 24.
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