ELV Regulation

COM(2023) 451 (procedure 2023/0284(COD)) would replace Directive 2000/53/EC and the 3R type-approval Directive 2005/64/EC with a single regulation covering vehicle design circularity and end-of-life treatment.

Current status

The file has advanced well beyond proposal stage but is not yet final law. The Council reached a general approach on 17 June 2025, the European Parliament set its negotiating position in September 2025, a provisional trilogue agreement was struck on 12 December 2025, and Parliament approved the agreed text on 18 June 2026. Council's formal adoption, signature and publication in the Official Journal remain outstanding, so no final regulation number has been assigned as of mid-2026. The details below reflect the original proposal, with the negotiated changes flagged.

What it requires

• Recycled-plastic content. As tabled: 25% of the plastic in a new vehicle from recycling, of which 25% from end-of-life vehicles. The agreed text phases this to 15% after 6 years rising to 25% after 10 years, with at least 20% from end-of-life vehicles.
• Design for circularity: EV batteries and e-drive motors must be designed so authorised treatment facilities can remove them readily during the vehicle's life, linking to the Batteries Regulation for reuse and recycling.
• Extended producer responsibility: producers finance collection and treatment costs, with EPR obligations beginning 3 years after entry into force in the agreed text.

Why it matters for the EV market

Mandatory removability of batteries and motors reshapes how EVs are designed for disassembly and feeds recovered materials back into the supply chain governed by the Batteries Regulation and CRMA. It points to growth in design-for-disassembly engineering, dismantling and recycling operations, and producer-responsibility compliance. Sources: proposal text, Council deal.