Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 on circularity requirements for vehicle design and management of end-of-life vehicles was published in the Official Journal of the EU, replacing the ELV Directive 2000/53/EC and the 3R Type-Approval Directive 2005/64/EC with a single, directly applicable regulation featuring mandatory recycled content, extended producer responsibility, and a Circularity Vehicle Passport.
What Happened
The European Parliament plenary approved the ELV Regulation on June 18, 2026, following a provisional political agreement reached in late 2025. The final text was published in the Official Journal on July 24, 2026, and the Regulation enters into force on August 13, 2026. It replaces both the ELV Directive and the 3R Type-Approval Directive within a single directly applicable EU instrument.
What’s New
- Introduces a Circularity Vehicle Passport, an EU-wide mandatory recycled content requirement, and a formal Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regime for end-of-life vehicles, applicable from September 1, 2029.
- Manufacturers may appoint Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) to meet EPR obligations; Member States may make such appointments mandatory.
- Recycled content targets apply to vehicle design; used car parts count toward targets, but tyre elastomers are excluded initially.
- By December 31, 2033, the Commission must review bio-based plastics/elastomers from tyres and potentially propose sustainability requirements.
Key Dates & Compliance Deadlines
European Parliament approved the ELV Regulation.
OJ EU L 2026/1738 published.
Regulation enters into force.
Recycled Content Calculation/Verification Implementing Act due.
Extended Producer Responsibility regime takes effect.
Commission review of tyre elastomers and bio-based plastics.
Affected Industries
Automotive OEMs and Tier 1/2 suppliers; vehicle recyclers and dismantlers; waste management operators; plastics and elastomer recyclers; Producer Responsibility Organisations.
Who Is Affected
Vehicle manufacturers (design, recycled content, EPR compliance); waste treatment operators (collection, dismantling, recycling); Producer Responsibility Organisations managing EPR compliance.
Substances / Products in Scope
No new chemical substance restrictions; focus is on circularity — recycled content targets, vehicle design for dismantling/reuse/recovery, and EPR administration. Existing ELV Directive bans on lead, mercury, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium continue to apply.
Prohibitions, Restrictions & Exemptions
No new prohibitions beyond continuity of existing ELV hazardous-substance restrictions. Key new obligations are the mandatory recycled-content target regime (calculation methods pending 2028 implementing act) and the EPR framework from September 2029.
What Companies Should Do
- Begin design and supply-chain planning for recycled-content compliance ahead of the 2028 implementing act.
- Evaluate Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) participation strategy ahead of the September 2029 EPR obligation date.
- Monitor the Commission’s 2033 review of tyre elastomers and bio-based plastics for potential future recycled-content eligibility.
- Prepare for Circularity Vehicle Passport documentation requirements as implementing detail develops.
This is a landmark regulation directly relevant to automotive OEMs and suppliers: while EPR and full recycled-content enforcement are still several years out (2028–2029), design-phase decisions on materials and dismantling-friendly architecture should begin now, as they will shape recycled-content compliance well before the implementing acts land.
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