MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAILERS
(EU) 2018/858
The main framework for the approval of vehicles, systems, components, and separate technical units, as well as market surveillance. It replaced Directive 2007/46/EC.
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LEGAL FRAMEWORK — FULL
The regulations behind
every approval
Three EU framework regulations set out who approves what. Underneath them sits a much larger set of detailed UNECE and EU acts covering individual technical subjects.
FRAMEWORK REGULATIONS
The three pillars
Each vehicle group is governed by its own framework regulation, which in turn references detailed technical acts.
TWO- AND THREE-WHEEL VEHICLES
(EU) 168/2013
Type approval framework for mopeds, motorcycles, tricycles, and quadricycles, paired with delegated regulation (EU) 3/2014 and its technical annexes.
AGRICULTURAL AND FORESTRY VEHICLES
(EU) 167/2013
Type approval for tractors, trailers, and interchangeable towed equipment, paired with delegated regulation (EU) 2015/208 and its technical annexes.
BELOW THE FRAMEWORK
Detailed technical acts
Framework regulations reference dozens of specific requirements, most of which trace back to UNECE regulations under the 1958 Agreement.
Safety subjects
Braking, lighting and signalling, steering, seat belts, and crash protection each have a dedicated UNECE regulation or EU act that a vehicle type must satisfy.
Environmental subjects
Exhaust emissions, CO2 and fuel consumption, and noise limits are tested under standardized cycles such as the Real Driving Emissions (RDE) procedure.
Market surveillance
(EU) 2018/858 also gives national authorities the power to check vehicles already on the market and to recall non-compliant types after approval.
STAYING CURRENT
Regulations keep changing
Framework regulations are amended regularly to add new technical requirements, update test procedures, and align with UNECE regulation revisions. A type approved today may need to satisfy a newer set of requirements when it is next updated or re-certified.
For information only. In practice, the latest consolidated texts, amendments, and national regulations must be checked.