EU on the technical roadside inspection of the roadworthiness of commercial vehicles circulating in the Union - Main contents

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dossier	COM(2025)180 - Amendment of Directive 2014/45/EU on periodic roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers and Directive ...
document	COM(2025)180
date	April 24, 2025

(1) Provisions regarding roadworthiness testing have been part of Union legislation for decades. They are however subject to gradual harmonisation. Union law to that effect was last revised in 2014 with the “Roadworthiness Package” ⁴⁵ . To improve enforcement, consecutive revisions of those rules gradually extended the scope of vehicles to be tested and the scope of the harmonised rules, including those on roadside inspections and vehicle registration documents. They specified and updated the required test methods, procedures and related documents to reflect technological progress.

(2) Directive 2014/45/EU sets out the minimum content and frequency of testing for each vehicle category, except for motorcycles, where Member States have a broader discretion. That Directive also sets out minimum requirements for the independence of testing centres and training of inspectors, testing equipment, and the content of the roadworthiness certificate. The validity of that certificate, as well as any other proof of testing, is to be recognised by Member States for the purposes of free circulation and re-registering a vehicle already registered in another Member State.

(3) Directive 2014/47/EU complements Directive 2014/45/EU by requiring Member States to carry out roadside inspections on heavy commercial vehicles above 3.5 tonnes, including buses, lorries, and their trailers with the aim of inspecting 5% of the Union fleet each year. Those inspections include an initial roadside inspection and, if deemed necessary by the inspector, a more detailed technical roadside inspection. The items tested in the detailed inspections are the same as those tested at periodic tests and may also include the inspection of cargo securing. Where a major or dangerous deficiency is found during a roadside inspection, the Member State where the inspection took place is required to notify the Member State of registration in order to enforce the repair of the vehicle that has been suspended from traffic.

(4) Due to rapid technological progress, some of the current rules for testing vehicles have become outdated and should be amended to adapt them to newer technologies and vehicles. The testing framework should further contribute to reducing emissions from transport and to accelerating and benefiting from digitalisation in the transport sector. The framework should also be better adapted to developments in evolving vehicle technology, fleet composition and testing methods.

(5) The digital transition is one of the Union’s priorities. In the context of updating the current rules on testing vehicles, it is also important to harmonise, simplify and digitalise administrative procedures and to remove the remaining barriers to free movement. These barriers include the non-recognition of periodic technical inspections conducted in Member States other than the Member State of registration. This can impede the free movement of people within the Union and their right to take up residence in a Member State other than the one where the vehicle is currently registered.

(6) Some of the current emission test methods are inadequate for testing vehicles with modern air pollutant emission control technology and low baseline emissions. There is also potential to further reduce pollutant emissions through more appropriate tests and checks. Applying the best available test methods would help Member States reach stricter air quality standards, namely the limit values for the protection of human health set by Directive (EU) 2024/2881 of the European Parliament and of the Council ⁴⁶ , especially for fine particulate matter and nitrogen oxides (NOX).

(7) The number of fatalities and serious injuries on Union roads remains at an unacceptably high level, with 20 400 deaths in 2023. Therefore, further action is required in order to reach the targets for road safety set out in EU road safety policy framework 2021-2030 ⁴⁷ .

(8) Testing the roadworthiness of motorcycles has clear benefits for road safety. This has also been demonstrated by the number of Member States that already include motorcycles in their roadworthiness testing systems. As a result, the current possibility of an opt-out for motorcycles with an engine capacity above 125 cm3 is no longer appropriate, and periodic testing should be mandatory for such vehicles without exception.

(9) According to the feedback received from Member States and industry representatives, the current legal requirements aiming to ensure that the technical data needed to carry out periodic technical inspections are available to testing centres have proven to be ineffective. It is therefore necessary to specify that a minimum set of information should be made available free of charge and without undue delay to the competent authorities, which should then ensure that the testing centres authorised by them also have the required access.

(10) The Member State of registration should recognise a temporary roadworthiness certificate issued by another Member State for a period of up to six months, provided that the subsequent periodic technical inspection is conducted in the Member State of registration. That will contribute to facilitating the free movement of people while respecting the basic requirement that vehicles are generally to be tested in the Member State of registration.

(11) For the same reason, a Member State of registration should be able to choose to recognise roadworthiness certificates issued by another Member State. If it does so, it should inform the other Member States and the Commission. The roadworthiness certificates concerned should be considered by all Member States as equivalent to certificates issued by the Member State of registration.

(12) To combat fraud related to the mileage of used vehicles, recording odometer readings is included in periodic roadworthiness testing. However, the effectiveness of the measure has been limited because the first test is only carried out four years after the first registration in most Member States and only every two years after that in many of them. To further tackle odometer fraud, Member States should ensure that odometer readings are taken whenever a service provider carries out maintenance or repair work on a vehicle and that the readings are recorded in a national database or register. Member States should make those readings available in an anonymised format to inspectors, the competent authorities and the holder of the registration certificate. In addition, Member States should require manufacturers to transmit the odometer readings of connected vehicles every three months. In order to enable consumers to detect odometer fraud before purchasing a vehicle, Member States should also inform consumers of the availability of odometer history to the holder of the registration certificate, in particular in the context of vehicle sales. To enhance the availability of statistics on vehicle use without additional reporting burden on national administrations, Member States should make the odometer readings available, in an anonymised form, to the national statistical institutes and to the Commission (Eurostat).

(13) Although electric vehicles, including hybrid electric vehicles, have been in circulation for many years, and their numbers have been steadily increasing, there are no harmonised rules on the roadworthiness testing of the high-voltage systems of such vehicles, resulting in Member States developing different test protocols. To ensure the safe operation of such vehicles throughout their useful life and avoid conflicting testing practices in the Member States, relevant test items should be included in the minimum requirements for the contents of and recommended methods for testing.

(14) Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 of the European Parliament and of the Council ⁴⁸ requires the installation of a variety of advanced driver assistance systems, designed to avoid crashes and reduce casualties and severe injuries. However, the expected benefits will not be achieved if these systems deteriorate over time or are subject to tampering. Therefore, those new electronic systems should be included in periodic and roadside inspections to ensure that they deliver their expected safety benefits. To ensure the safe operation of automated vehicles and the testing of electronic safety systems throughout their useful life, relevant items to be tested should be included in the minimum requirements concerning the contents of and recommended methods for testing set out in the respective Annexes to Directives 2014/45/EU and 2014/47/EU.

(15) While road transport contributes to significant shares of harmful air pollutant emissions in particular NOX and fine particles, the current testing methods for exhaust emissions are not adapted to more recent vehicles and technologies. Commission Recommendation (EU) 2023/688 ⁴⁹ was a first step in harmonising particle number measurement during roadworthiness testing. In the interests of public health, environmental protection and fair competition, the relevant items to be tested during periodic technical inspections set out in the annexes to Directives 2014/45/EU and 2014/47/EU should now include particle number measurement and the measurement of NOX.

(16) Older vehicles tend to have more defects, are more frequently involved in crashes, and represent a higher proportion of high-emitting vehicles. Inspecting older cars and light commercial vehicles annually can contribute significantly to reducing crashes and harmful emissions. Cars and light commercial vehicles should therefore be inspected annually at the latest after 10 years from the date of first registration.

(17) Furthermore, since light commercial vehicles are used more intensively than private cars, often in densely populated areas, they should be inspected for emissions annually after one year from the date of first registration.

(18) In addition to scheduled periodic technical inspections, vehicles should also be subject to a roadworthiness test if the safety or environmental systems and components of the vehicle have been significantly altered or modified. This includes cases where there is a change of vehicle category or emission levels, for example following the installation of a particle filter or when a vehicle is converted to run on an alternative fuel.

(19) To facilitate the digital transition and to reduce costs for testing centres, roadworthiness certificates should be issued in a standardised electronic format. A paper printout of the roadworthiness certificate should also be issued to the person who presented the vehicle for testing upon request. Member States should accept both formats when the ownership of the vehicle is changed or when the vehicle is re-registered in another Member State. For similar reasons, the report of the more detailed roadside inspection should be issued in electronic format.

(20) It should be ensured that personal data processing for the implementation of this Directive complies with the data protection framework of the Union, in particular Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council ⁵⁰ . In line with the principle of data protection by default, verification techniques not requiring transmission of personal data on individual certificates should be employed for the verification of roadworthiness certificates.

(21) To provide for adequate follow-up of deficiencies where a vehicle fails a periodic technical inspection due to one or more major deficiencies in a Member State other than the Member State of registration, the result of the test and the deadline for the subsequent test should be notified to the Member State of registration and recorded in the vehicle register. The deadline for the subsequent test should be no more than two months and should take place in either Member State. In addition, when a vehicle has failed the periodic technical inspection due to one or more dangerous deficiencies, to avoid immediate risks to road safety or the environment, the Member State or competent authority should be able to decide that the vehicle in question is not to be used on public roads and request the Member State of registration to suspend the vehicle’s authorisation for use in road traffic, until the deficiencies are rectified. The suspension should be recorded in the vehicle register of the Member State of registration.

(22) Tampering or manipulating any component of a vehicle should be considered to be a major or dangerous deficiency and therefore should be punishable by effective, proportionate, dissuasive and non-discriminatory penalties.

(23) The current requirements set out in Directives 2014/45/EU and 2014/47/EU for Member States to cooperate with each other when implementing those Directives do not enable Member States to check a vehicle’s legal and technical status in cross-border situations. To ensure greater effectiveness, including in such situations, Member States should assist one another in implementing the Directive more systematically. Therefore, it is necessary to set out rules on the exchange of information and vehicle data to allow Member States to consult each other’s vehicle registers and roadworthiness databases, including the content of roadworthiness certificates and technical roadside inspection reports.

(24) For the exchange of information on vehicles registered in the Union, the MOVE-HUB message exchange platform has been developed by the Commission to interconnect Member States’ national electronic registers ⁵¹ . The platform currently hosts the interconnection of road transport undertaking registers (ERRU), driving licence registers (RESPER), professional driver training registers (ProDriveNet), tachograph driver card registers (TACHOnet), and the notification of vehicle roadside inspection failures (RSI) ⁵² .

(25) The functionalities of the MOVE-HUB should be extended to enable the necessary exchange of information and vehicle data for the purposes of Directives 2014/45/EU and 2014/47/EU. Member States should therefore connect their electronic systems containing information on roadworthiness certificates and odometer history to MOVE-HUB. The exchange of information and data through the MOVE-HUB should be operational within one year after the adoption of the corresponding implementing acts pursuant to Article 16 of Directive 2014/45/EU and Article 18a of Directive 2014/47/EU.

(26) Crises brought about by serious events, occurring inside or outside the Union, may significantly disrupt the operation of its roadworthiness system. During times of crisis, Member States should be able to extend the validity of roadworthiness certificates, including temporary roadworthiness certificates. Subject to the Commission’s authorisation, Members States should be allowed to extend the administrative validity of expiring roadworthiness certificates and temporary roadworthiness certificates by six months. Where the crisis persists, it should be possible to further extend the validity.

(27) Given the increased number of light commercial vehicles in circulation within the Union, to promote a level playing field for commercial operators across the Union and to further improve their safety and environmental performance, light commercial vehicles should also be subject to roadside inspections.

(28) For roadside inspections, the screening of the exhaust emissions of large numbers of vehicles by using remote sensing equipment is an effective measure for identifying high-emitting vehicles. It increases detection rates significantly compared to mandatory test methods. Member States should therefore use remote sensing equipment systematically to screen large shares of the vehicle fleet in real on-road conditions. One single remote sensing measurement indicating high emissions above the legal limits could be related to various factors, such as temporary acceleration or a cold engine. However, multiple measurements systematically indicating significantly higher-than-average emissions could indicate a faulty emission control system or unauthorised modifications, such as tampering. Since such defects and modifications generate excessive emissions that pose risks to human health and the environment, they should be repaired, and any tampering should be sanctioned.

(29) As a result, such screening by remote sensing should form part of each Member State’s roadside inspection system. For the screening to be effective, each Member State should screen the equivalent of at least 30% of its registered fleet of motor vehicles, including cars and motorcycles. On the basis of that remote sensing data, Member States should check the exhaust emissions and the noise level of any vehicle that is suspected to emit more than double the average level of similar vehicles, or more than 3 dB above the average level. That check could be carried out in a roadside inspection immediately after a remote sensing measurement or in a roadworthiness testing centre in the Member State of registration. For vehicles registered in another Member State, the competent authority where the remote sensing measurement took place should notify the measurement result and the result of any subsequent roadside inspection to the competent authority of Member State of registration.

(30) Directive 2014/47/EU specifies a minimum share of heavy commercial vehicles to be tested at the roadside each year in the Union but sets no target at Member State level, with the result that it is difficult to ensure the enforcement of that minimum share. To ensure that roadside inspections of commercial vehicles contribute to improved road safety and reduced air pollution across the Union, each Member State should carry out a total number of initial technical roadside inspections every year, corresponding to at least 5% of the total number of heavy commercial vehicles registered in their territory.

(31) To promote digital transformation and to reduce costs in the transport sector, Member States should require their competent authorities to accept electronic evidence of roadside inspections.

(32) Given that inadequate or dangerous cargo securing can pose a serious threat to road safety and to the environment, inspections of cargo securing should be a mandatory part of roadside inspections in all Member States.

(33) To ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Directive, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission to specify: (a) the set of technical information and data necessary for roadworthiness testing that must be made available to the competent authorities, (b) interoperability features and security measures applicable to the QR codes introduced on roadworthiness certificates, (c) the necessary features and requirements for the format and content of the information and data to be exchanged, and (d) the format in which the data on periodic testing and roadside inspections are to be communicated. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council ⁵³ .

(34) In order to achieve the objectives of this Directive, in particular to adapt the annexes to Directives 2014/45/EU and 2014/17/EU to any technical, operational or scientific developments, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 TFEU should be delegated to the Commission to (a) specify the methods for the PN measurement of positive ignition engines and for the NOX measurement of compression and positive ignition engines; and (b) set the common limits for exhaust or noise emissions or both that should be used to identify high-emitting vehicles. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level, and that those consultations be conducted in line with the principles laid down in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 13 April 2016 on Better Law-Making ⁵⁴ . In particular, to ensure equal participation in the preparation of delegated acts, the European Parliament and the Council should receive all documents at the same time as Member States’ experts, and their experts should systematically have access to meetings of Commission expert groups dealing with the preparation of delegated acts.

(35) The objectives of this Directive, namely, to improve road safety, facilitate the free movement of persons and reduce pollutant emissions cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States acting alone as national rules governing those vehicle checks would lead to diverging requirements. Consequently, such objectives are better achieved at Union level by laying down minimum common requirements and harmonised rules concerning periodic technical inspections and technical roadside inspections of vehicles circulating within the Union. Therefore, the Union may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union. In accordance with the principle of proportionality as set out in that Article, this Directive does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve those objectives.

(36) Although data on the operation of roadworthiness testing regimes is available at national level, such data is not available at Union level. That lack of data hampers the analysis and evaluation of the roadworthiness testing system. To address those shortcomings, Member States should, in the implementation of Directive 2014/45/EU, report regularly to the Commission key data on the number of testing centres in each Member State, the total number of vehicles inspected per category, the areas checked, the items failed, and information on roadworthiness tests conducted on vehicles registered in another Member State. On roadside inspections, the current reporting obligations on Member States should be reduced and simplified, with less frequent reporting required.

(37) To minimise the administrative burden while ensuring the usefulness of the reported information, Member States should report on the implementation of Directives 2014/45/EU and 2014/47/EU every three years.

(38) The roadworthiness system has a direct impact on road safety, noise and emissions and should therefore be reviewed periodically. On the basis of the input from Member States’ authorities, the Commission should report to the European Parliament and Council on the effectiveness of the provisions of Directive 2014/45/EU, including those on the scope, frequency of testing and recognition of temporary roadworthiness certificates, and Directive 2014/47/EU, including that on remote sensing.

(39) The European Data Protection Supervisor was consulted in accordance with Article 42(1) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 and delivered an opinion on [DD/MM/YYYY].

(40) In accordance with the Joint Political Declaration of 28 September 2011 of Member States and the Commission on explanatory documents ⁵⁵ , Member States have undertaken to accompany, in justified cases, the notification of their transposition measures with one or more documents explaining the relationship between the components of a directive and the corresponding parts of national transposition instruments. With regard to this Directive, the legislator considers the transmission of such documents to be justified.

(41) Directive 2014/45/EU and 2014/47/EU should therefore be amended accordingly.