EPREL vs the DPP Registry: How the Two EU Registries Connect
EPREL registers energy and tyre labels; the ESPR DPP registry indexes passports. How the two differ, and how a June 2026 proposal links them.
Status as of July 2026: EPREL is live and mandatory today under Regulation (EU) 2017/1369. The DPP registry must be established by 19 July 2026 under ESPR Article 13. The technical link between the two described below comes from a Commission proposal of 24 June 2026 (COM(2026) 565), which is not yet law. This article separates what is already in force from what is proposed.
The Two-Minute Version
The EU runs two different central registries, and they are easy to confuse. EPREL is the existing register for the energy label and the tyre label. The DPP registry is the new index for Digital Product Passports under the ESPR. EPREL already holds product data today. The DPP registry is being stood up now and holds identifiers that locate a passport, not the passport itself.
On 24 June 2026 the Commission proposed to connect the two, so that a company does not have to register the same model information twice. That bridge is the reason the two systems now need to be understood together, and it is the focus of this guide.
What EPREL Is
EPREL is the European Product Registry for Energy Labelling, set up and operated by the European Commission (Directorate-General for Energy). Its legal basis is the Energy Labelling Framework Regulation (EU) 2017/1369. Since 1 January 2019, suppliers (manufacturers, importers or authorised representatives) must register every model of an energy-labelled product in EPREL before placing it on the EU market.
EPREL has two sides:
- a public part, reachable by scanning the QR code on the energy label, where consumers and dealers see the label and the product information sheet, and
- a compliance part, with the technical documentation, accessible only to national market surveillance authorities.
Tyres sit inside this same system. Under the Tyre Labelling Regulation (EU) 2020/740, suppliers must, from 1 May 2021, enter the required tyre information into the product database. So a tyre already has a structured, regulated data record in EPREL: fuel efficiency class, wet grip class, external rolling noise, and, where relevant, snow grip and ice grip, all reachable from the QR code on the tyre label.
What the DPP Registry Is
The DPP registry is something quite different. It is created by ESPR Article 13 and must be established by 19 July 2026. It is an index, not a warehouse: it records the unique identifiers and data carriers needed to locate a passport, while the passport data stays decentralized with the economic operator or its service provider. Its main users are customs and market surveillance authorities.
We cover the registry architecture, the four layers people confuse, and the draft implementing rules in a dedicated guide, so this article does not repeat them:
EPREL and the DPP Registry Side by Side
| EPREL | DPP registry | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal basis | Reg (EU) 2017/1369 (tyres via 2020/740) | ESPR Reg (EU) 2024/1781, Article 13 |
| Purpose | Register the energy label and tyre label | Index that locates Digital Product Passports |
| What it holds | Model records: label classes, product information sheet, technical docs | Unique identifiers and data carriers; passport data stays decentralized |
| Who runs it | European Commission (DG ENER) | European Commission |
| In force since | 1 January 2019 (registration mandatory) | To be established by 19 July 2026 |
| Public access | Public part via the label QR code | Mainly authorities; a separate public web portal is ESPR Article 14 |
| Products | Energy-labelled products and tyres | ESPR product groups as delegated acts arrive (batteries first) |
The short version: EPREL is a content register for a specific labelling regime, the DPP registry is a locator index for passports across many product groups.
How They Connect: the Once-Only Bridge
This is the new part, and it is a proposal, not law yet. On 24 June 2026 the Commission adopted COM(2026) 565, an omnibus that amends the Energy Labelling Regulation (2017/1369) and the Tyre Labelling Regulation (2020/740). The ESPR itself is not reopened by this proposal. What the proposal does is build a bridge between EPREL and the future DPP registry so information is not entered twice.
Two provisions carry the idea:
- Recital 8 states it is appropriate to “ensure a technical link between EPREL and the centralised element of the future digital registry under Regulation (EU) 2024/1781.”
- A new Article 12(13) in Regulation 2017/1369 says that, “where provided for by Union law,” the Commission shall ensure the integration between EPREL and the central part of the registry to be established under Article 13 of the ESPR.
Around these, the proposal describes a once-only principle: products whose EPREL record already carries equivalent information should not have to be registered again in the DPP registry, and model-level EPREL data would be interlinked with item-level registry data. The proposal says this should also be ensured for tyres, in relation to information requirements set in future ESPR delegated acts.
Two cautions keep this accurate:
- It is a proposal. It goes to the European Parliament and the Council and can change before it becomes law.
- It is conditional (“where provided for by Union law”) and it does not create a Digital Product Passport for tyres or energy-labelled products. A tyre DPP would come separately through an ESPR delegated act, on the working-plan timeline (indicative adoption around 2027, application around 2029).
Why This Matters for Companies
If you make or import energy-labelled products or tyres, the direction of travel is that your EPREL record becomes a reusable data source, not a separate silo. The practical takeaways:
- Treat your EPREL data as structured product data, not a form you file once. The same fields are the ones most likely to flow into a future passport.
- One identity verification, not two. The proposal points to one identity verification serving both systems, rather than two parallel checks.
- Do not wait for the DPP act to organise the data. The confirmed label parameters already live in EPREL today. Getting them clean and exportable now is the low-risk move.
For the tyre-specific reading of the June 2026 proposal, see the companion blog post, and for sector readiness see the tyres page:
FAQ
Is EPREL the same as the DPP registry?
No. EPREL (Regulation (EU) 2017/1369) is the register for the energy label and, via Regulation (EU) 2020/740, the tyre label. The DPP registry (ESPR Article 13) is a separate index that locates Digital Product Passports. They are run by the same institution but serve different regimes.Will I have to register the same product in both?
Not if the June 2026 proposal is adopted as drafted. It introduces a once-only principle: where EPREL already holds equivalent information, the product should not need a second registration in the DPP registry, and the two systems would be interlinked. Until it is adopted, this is a proposal, not a legal guarantee.Does the June 2026 proposal create a Digital Product Passport for tyres?
No. COM(2026) 565 amends the labelling rules and wires EPREL to the future DPP registry. A tyre DPP would come through a separate ESPR delegated act, with adoption indicatively around 2027 and application around 2029.Are tyres actually in EPREL?
Yes. Under Regulation (EU) 2020/740, suppliers must enter the required tyre information into the product database from 1 May 2021. The QR code on the tyre label resolves to that EPREL record.Where does the actual passport data live?
With the economic operator or its DPP service provider, not inside the registry. The registry holds identifiers and data carriers that locate the passport. See our guide on the registry versus decentralized data.Read Next
- DPP Registry vs Decentralized Data: What the EU Registry Stores
- What Is a Digital Product Passport?
- GS1 Digital Link for DPP
- Tyres and DPP readiness
Official Sources
- COM(2026) 565: proposal on simplification and better use of digital options for energy and tyre labelling
- Regulation (EU) 2017/1369 (Energy Labelling, establishes EPREL)
- Regulation (EU) 2020/740 (Tyre Labelling)
- ESPR Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, Article 13 (DPP registry)
- EPREL public website
Preparing structured product data you can reuse across EPREL and a future passport? Start free on OriginPass.eu and keep your product records exportable and registry-ready.