Emissions and Safety: The EU's New Proposals for Vehicle Inspections

Recently, the European Commission published a proposal for a Directive that amends both Directive 2014/45/EU and Directive 2014/47/EU, the two regulations governing vehicle inspections across the European Union.

With this initiative, which still needs approval from the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, the Commission aims to update vehicle testing methods to improve road safety and the air we breathe.

Indeed, the published proposal introduces measurements of particulate matter (PN) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), which are currently not measured during inspections and are among the most dangerous pollutants for public health today.

As an additional benefit, these measurements would also facilitate the identification of vehicles that have had their diesel particulate filters illegally removed—sometimes to optimize other vehicle performance—which, as a secondary effect, increases the level of pollution emitted by those vehicles.

Beyond addressing pollution, the proposal includes many other innovations, such as safety and battery integrity tests for electric vehicles, as well as verification of ADAS systems, some of which are mandatory on all vehicles produced for the European market from July 2024 onward.

The topics are numerous, and the subject is broad and complex—too much to cover in just a few lines.

For those interested in exploring the topic further, a roundtable has been organized during Autopromotec 2025. The event, “The Future of Vehicle Inspections (PTI) in Europe”, is scheduled for Wednesday, May 21, at 4:00 PM, at Gallery 25/26.