Euro 7: how the new regulation makes all cars more expensive, including electric ones
The European Union is preparing one of the most impactful regulations for the automotive sector. The Euro 7 regulation, scheduled for 2026, not only focuses on exhaust gases but decisively expands its scope. It will now also control emissions generated by brakes and tires, a move that will equally affect combustion and electric vehicles. 🚗💨
The new battlefront: microparticles
When electric vehicles began to popularize without exhaust emissions, the regulatory focus sought a new target. Community institutions have decided to regulate the microparticles released by the friction of brake pads against discs and by tire wear on the asphalt. This change means that no type of car will escape the new requirements, regardless of its propulsion.
Direct consequences of Euro 7:- Widespread cost increase: Manufacturers will have to implement brake filtration systems and develop specific tire compounds, technologies that will increase production costs.
- End of the affordable car: Small and affordable models, key for many workers, will absorb an additional cost of several thousand euros, putting their commercial viability at risk.
- More expensive maintenance: Spare parts, such as brake pads or approved tires, will also see their prices increase, affecting the cost of vehicle ownership.
It is a masterstroke of financial engineering: they relax limits for combustion engines, but impose such costly technical requirements that they effectively eliminate the option of cheap mobility.
A blow to accessible mobility
The foreseeable result is a market transformation. What was previously considered a basic right to mobility will become, de facto, a more exclusive product. The regulation acts as a mechanism that transfers the regulatory cost entirely to the end consumer, without distinction between technologies.
Impact on the end user:- Higher purchase price: The initial additional cost will make buying a new vehicle an option only for a smaller segment of the population.
- Electrics not exempt: The idea that electric cars would escape future emissions regulations fades, as they will also be subject to these controls.
- Pressure on the used market: The value of old cars, without these technologies, could increase as they become the only real alternative for tight budgets.
Looking towards 2026
The entry into force of Euro 7 will mark a turning point. It is not just about reducing particles, but redefining the cost of manufacturing and maintaining any automobile. Many drivers will begin to value as never before the simplicity and affordability of their old vehicles, in a context where the new offer moves away from their economic possibilities. The car as a mass consumption product faces one of its greatest challenges. ⚠️