EU updates Euro 7 brake particle emission testing rules

The European Commission has adopted Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/1214, updating the conditions for testing compliance with brake particle emission limits under the Euro 7 framework. Signed on 9 June 2026 by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the act was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (L series) on 3 September 2026 and amends Regulation (EU) 2024/1257.

The regulation replaces the reference to UN Global Technical Regulation No 24 in Table 4 of Annex III to the Euro 7 regulation with the new UN Regulation No 179 on the Laboratory Measurement of Brake Emissions for Light-Duty Vehicles. The change reflects the latest technological progress and harmonises testing standards across the sector.

Why the test reference is changing

The new UN Regulation No 179 (published as OJ L 2026/1044 on 18 May 2026) is based on data collected when testing Euro 7 brakes and introduces several technical improvements over the previous framework:

• Further harmonisation and improvement of the testing environment
• High-precision measurement of PM10, PM2.5 and particle numbers
• Testing of new technologies, including brakes equipped with passive or active emission-reduction filters
• Calculation of brake emissions for the entire vehicle

Because the new UN regulation comprehensively covers light-duty vehicle categories, the delegated act aligns the EU rules with it, applying to vehicles of categories M1 and N1, as well as Euro 7ext vehicles, in accordance with Article 5(2) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1257.

Scope and legal basis

The amendment is adopted under Article 15(1), point (e), of Regulation (EU) 2024/1257, which empowers the Commission to update the technical testing conditions. The act replaces Table 4 in Annex III of the Euro 7 regulation, which sets out the conditions for testing compliance with brake particle emission limits for both light-duty and heavy-duty vehicle categories.

The regulation is binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States, and carries EEA relevance. It enters into force on the twentieth day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

What it means for the industry

For carmakers and type-approval authorities, the update removes the need to test light-duty vehicles against the older UN Global Technical Regulation No 24 and aligns EU requirements with the internationally agreed UN Regulation No 179. This harmonisation is expected to reduce the administrative and testing burden for manufacturers while ensuring that brake particle emissions are measured with higher precision and across a wider range of new technologies, supporting the EU’s broader air-quality and emissions-reduction objectives.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, L series, 3 September 2026 (official reference: Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/1214, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2026/1214/oj).