Vehicles: the Circularity Vehicle Passport Is Now Law
Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 establishes a Circularity Vehicle Passport for covered passenger cars and light commercial vehicles from 1 September 2032. Published on 24 July 2026, it is a separate regime from ESPR but requires interoperability with battery, permanent-magnet and ESPR passports. Manufacturers, importers and circularity operators can already structure removal, restricted-metals, recycled-content and spare-parts data.
From ELV Directive to Circularity Vehicle Passport
ELV Directive and 3R type-approval
The End-of-Life Vehicles Directive (2000/53/EC) and the 3R Type-Approval Directive (2005/64/EC) set the earlier framework that the new Regulation consolidates and replaces.
Commission proposal
The Commission proposes a Regulation on circularity requirements for vehicle design and on the management of end-of-life vehicles (procedure 2023/0284(COD)).
Provisional agreement
Parliament and Council reach a provisional agreement in trilogue on the text, including the Circularity Vehicle Passport, recycled-content targets and extended producer responsibility.
Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 published
The final Regulation is published in the Official Journal after Parliament and Council adoption. It enters into force on 13 August 2026.
Passport implementing-act deadline
Deadline for the Commission to define detailed technical, access, location and update rules.
Circularity Vehicle Passport applies
Article 13 applies to covered vehicles placed on the EU market.
Readiness Areas for Vehicles
Vehicle and component identity
Vehicle type and component identification, model structure and variant mapping across the bill of materials.
Recycled content and materials
Recycled-content evidence for plastics, steel and other materials, plus material declarations supporting recyclability.
Dismantling and circularity data
Dismantling information, removability of parts and circularity data for reuse, remanufacturing and recycling.
Supply chain and producer responsibility
Supplier declarations, extended-producer-responsibility data and end-of-life traceability across the value chain.
Who Should Start First?
The highest-priority preparation case covers:
- vehicle manufacturers (OEMs) placing vehicles on the EU market
- importers and distributors of vehicles and major components
- parts and component suppliers feeding the automotive value chain
- dismantlers, recyclers and authorised treatment facilities handling end-of-life vehicles