Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 — the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation — entered into force on 13 August 2026, and it contains a clause that matters a great deal in Mombasa, Dar es Salaam and Kingston. From 1 September 2031, only roadworthy vehicles may be exported out of the European Union. If you have read that as a used-car export ban, it is not one. It is a roadworthiness test, and the distinction is the whole story.
The short version
- Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 was adopted by the Council on 29 June 2026, published in the Official Journal on 24 July 2026 and entered into force on 13 August 2026.
- From 1 September 2031, only roadworthy vehicles may be exported outside the EU.
- Roadworthy used vehicles can continue to be exported as normal. The restriction targets end-of-life vehicles being sent abroad as second-hand cars.
- The Regulation replaces Directive 2000/53/EC and the 3R Type-Approval Directive 2005/64/EC.
- It also sets recycled plastic content requirements of 15% from 2032 and 25% from 2036 for new vehicles.
What the Regulation actually restricts
The European Commission’s own description is precise: from 1 September 2031, only roadworthy vehicles may be exported outside the EU, helping to protect the environment and prevent end-of-life vehicles from being exported as second-hand vehicles.
Two things follow. First, the measure is aimed at the trade in vehicles that are functionally scrap but are papered as used cars — a real and long-documented practice. Second, it is not an export ban on the European used-car trade, and reporting that describes it as one is wrong.
The rule does not say fewer cars may leave Europe. It says the ones that leave must be able to drive.
29 June 2026
Council adopts the Regulation
The Council of the EU formally adopts the regulation on circularity requirements for vehicle design and end-of-life vehicle management.24 July 2026
Published in the Official Journal
Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 appears in the Official Journal.13 August 2026
Entry into force
The Regulation enters into force, replacing Directive 2000/53/EC and the 3R Type-Approval Directive 2005/64/EC.1 September 2031
The export condition applies
Five years after entry into force, only roadworthy vehicles may be exported outside the EU.2032 and 2036
Recycled content targets
New vehicles must contain at least 15% recycled plastic from 2032, rising to 25% from 2036.
Who this actually reaches
Most of our destination markets sit outside the European Union, which is exactly why this is our story rather than a European one. The EU has for decades been a source of cheap used vehicles for parts of Africa, the Caucasus and the Middle East. A roadworthiness condition on export changes the composition of that flow.
| If you… | Effect |
|---|---|
| Import roadworthy used cars out of the EU | No change to your business. Roadworthy vehicles continue to be exportable. |
| Import at the very bottom of the age and condition range from the EU | This is the flow the Regulation is aimed at. Expect it to narrow from 1 September 2031. |
| Source from Japan, the UK, UAE, India, Thailand, Australia or New Zealand | Not covered. This is an EU export rule and does not travel. |
| Are based in Ireland, Malta or Cyprus | You are inside the EU, so both the design and the export provisions apply to you. |
| Buy new cars | The recycled-content requirements apply to manufacturers from 2032 and 2036, not to you directly. |
Assessed against the European Commission's description of Regulation (EU) 2026/1738. Checked 10 September 2026.
The United Kingdom is not in this
Britain left the European Union and this Regulation does not bind it. A used car exported from the UK to Kenya, Jamaica or New Zealand is governed by UK rules, not by Regulation (EU) 2026/1738. If someone quotes this Regulation at you on a British car, they have the jurisdiction wrong.
What it does to a landed cost
Nothing, today. The export condition applies from 1 September 2031, which is nearly five years away, and the Regulation does not create a duty, a levy or a charge on an importer. Anyone attaching a price increase to it in 2026 is attaching a price increase to something that has not started.
From 2031 the mechanism is indirect but real. Removing the non-roadworthy tail of the EU export flow raises the average quality and therefore the average price of what leaves. For an importer buying at the bottom of the market that is a cost increase; for one buying roadworthy stock it is closer to neutral, and it may improve the reliability of what arrives at the port.
2026/1738
Regulation number
13 Aug 2026
Entered into force
1 Sep 2031
Export condition applies
Your own market may already do this
Worth remembering before anyone treats this as novel: several of our destination markets already impose pre-shipment inspection precisely to keep unroadworthy vehicles out. JEVIC, QISJ, KEBS and their equivalents exist for that reason. If you import into a market with a mandatory pre-shipment inspection regime, the practical effect of the EU rule on your supply is smaller than it looks, because your own authority has been applying a similar filter for years.
Does this apply to you?
- Nothing changes before 1 September 2031. There is no action to take this year, this quarter or this month.
- Check the jurisdiction of your source, not the badge of the car. A German-brand vehicle exported from Japan or the UAE is not an EU export.
- If you are inside the EU, the design provisions are the nearer deadline. Recycled content from 2032 is a manufacturer obligation, and it will show in vehicle specification before the export clause bites.
On the record
- Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 was adopted by the Council on 29 June 2026, published in the Official Journal on 24 July 2026 and entered into force on 13 August 2026.
- From 1 September 2031, only roadworthy vehicles may be exported outside the EU.
- Roadworthy used vehicles may continue to be exported as normal.
- The Regulation replaces Directive 2000/53/EC and Directive 2005/64/EC, and sets recycled plastic content at 15% from 2032 and 25% from 2036.
Still not established
- The precise definition of “roadworthy” that will be applied at export, and by which authority. We have not read an implementing act specifying the test.
- How the roadworthiness condition will be evidenced at the port of export, and by whom. The Regulation sets the condition; the operational check is not yet described.
- How member states will document or certify roadworthiness at the point of export.
- The volume of EU used-vehicle exports that would fail such a test. We have seen no reliable estimate.
Move now or wait?
Wait, and specifically do not let anyone sell you urgency on this. Five years is long enough for implementing acts to change the detail, and the provision as described does not touch a roadworthy car.
The one group with real planning work is any business whose model depends on moving vehicles out of the EU that would not pass a roadworthiness test. That business has until 1 September 2031 and it should use it.
EU legislation is published in the Official Journal of the European Union and interpreted through implementing acts and national enforcement. Details above reflect the European Commission’s published description of Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 and were checked on 10 September 2026. This is not legal advice — confirm your own position with a customs professional in the relevant jurisdiction.
Importing into Ireland and want the whole bill?
Ireland is the one market where we take the import all the way through customs clearance and NCTS registration. Our Ireland import cost calculator produces a full landed figure including VRT, and our Ireland import guide covers the process. For a specific car, send us the details.
Sources
- New rules for a more circular European automotive sector — European Commission
- End-of-life vehicles Regulation — European Commission
- From 13 August 2026, new EU rules on the end-of-life treatment of cars — Il Sole 24 Ore
- EU end-of-life vehicle regulation takes effect — Just Auto