Euro 6 standard: a revolution in car imports or a blow to Ukrainians' wallets?

On January 1, 2025, the Euro-6 standard will come into effect in Ukraine, which will significantly affect the import and first registration of both new and used vehicles. The changes will affect cars, trucks, buses and tractors, which will increase the cost of used vehicles, especially buses, due to age restrictions and the need to comply with updated environmental standards.

According to the Institute for Automotive Market Research, environmental standards regulate emissions from vehicles with internal combustion engines. The Euro-6 standard, introduced in EU countries in 2015, is one of the strictest. It aims to reduce emissions of substances such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon dioxide (CO2) and particulate matter.

To meet these requirements, car manufacturers are using exhaust aftertreatment technologies such as exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and catalytic converters.

What will change from 2025?

Following the introduction of the Euro-6 standard, the changes will affect a wide range of vehicles registered in Ukraine for the first time:

• new passenger cars;

• tractor-trailers for semi-trailers;

• trucks (both up to and over 3.5 tons); and
  buses;

• specialized vehicles (wreckers, truck cranes, concrete mixers).
  

These vehicles will have to comply with Euro-6 standards when first registered. At the same time, the Euro-2 standard will continue to apply to used cars already in use in Ukraine or imported as second-hand cars.

Exceptions to the new requirements

Some categories of vehicles will remain outside the Euro-6 requirements:

• electric cars - since they do not have internal combustion engines, they are not subject to these environmental standards;

• used passenger cars - must meet the requirements of the Euro-2 environmental standard, which allows the importation of cars older than 1996;

• vehicles for humanitarian and defense needs - excluded from the list of requirements.

How will Euro-6 affect prices?

The introduction of the new standard will significantly change the market of vehicles, especially used ones.

Buses

The average age of buses imported into Ukraine is 12-13 years. The new standards will limit the import of vehicles older than 10 years, which will cause an increase in minimum prices and a shortage of the cheapest models.

Tractors and trucks

Among tractors and trucks, the average age is about 9 years. The new requirements will reduce the availability of older models, which will increase their cost.

New passenger cars

The transition to Euro-6 will have virtually no effect on the price of new cars, as most manufacturers have already adapted production to this standard. There is no difference in the cost of models for “Euro-5” and “Euro-6”.

According to research data, the average age of vehicles imported to Ukraine is as follows:

• trucks up to 3.5 tons - 6 years old;

• trucks over 3.5 tons - 9.2 years;

• truck tractors - 9.3 years old;

• buses up to 24 seats - 12.6 years;

• buses with 25+ seats - 13 years.

Thus, the new norms will particularly affect the bus market, where the average age exceeds the permissible limit of 10 years. Already from 2025 the import of vehicles that do not comply with “Euro-6” will be prohibited.