The introduction of stricter Euro-6 environmental requirements in Ukraine from January 1, 2025 will affect the age of used vehicles (vehicles), which will be allowed to be imported into our country. The segment of used buses will be affected the most by the price increase.
Such data leads Institute of Car Market Research.
Euro-6 standards have been introduced in the European Union since 2015. They replaced the Euro-5 standards, which have been in effect since 2009. Euro-6 standard provides stricter regulations on limiting nitrogen oxide (NOx), solid particles and other harmful substances in exhaust gases compared to its predecessor.
Ukraine undertook to introduce Euro-6 economic standards within the framework of the Association Agreement with the EU. But in 2019, this innovation was postponed until January 1, 2025. It is not excluded that there may be another postponement, but so far no statements regarding this have been received from representatives of the government or the relevant ministry.
Currently, the law allows the import and first registration of most vehicles in Ukraine, if they meet the environmental standard no lower than Euro-5, and for used cars – Euro-2.
In practice, this puts a limit on the year of production for such vehicles, since cars with Euro-2 appeared on the EU market in 1996, with Euro-5 – in 2009. Accordingly, this affects the minimum prices at which you can buy abroad such transport.
Which vehicles must meet the requirements of Euro-6 from the new year
They include:
- new and used tractor units for semi-trailers;
- buses;
- all trucks;
- special equipment (evacuators, truck cranes, truck concrete mixers, etc.);
- new passenger cars submitted for first registration.
Cars meeting Euro-6 requirements appeared on the EU market in 2015. That is, their maximum age is 6 years less than those that can be imported now. And since such vehicles are newer and usually have less mileage, the minimum price for them will be higher.
Which market segments are expected to increase in price?
Experts of the Institute of Car Market Research say that the introduction of Euro-6 will have the greatest impact on used buses. From January 1, the age limit will be set for them at the level of 10 years (or 9, it will depend on the month of graduation and the decision of the expert of the certification laboratory).
According to experts, the buses that are imported now have an average age of 12.6-13 years. Therefore, this segment expects a general price increase – an increase in the minimum price threshold for the most affordable options.
To a lesser extent, Euro-6 will affect trucks and tractors, experts say. Vehicles of this category that are imported now have an average age of 6 years, so the LCV segment will not experience any changes at all. Experts predict an increase in the minimum and average price in arrays of semi-trailer tractors and trucks with a weight of more than 3.5 tons.
Which vehicles will not be affected by the implementation of Euro-6
The new rules will not apply to:
- electric cars, since they do not have an internal combustion engine;
- passenger cars with mileage (Euro-2 remains for them);
- individual vehicles that arrives as humanitarian aid or for defense needs.
Segment new passenger cars also falls under the requirement of compliance with Euro-6. But in fact, this will not affect the cost of most products of well-known manufacturers, since they already have Euro-6 certification.
A year ago, EcoPolitics wrote about what was happening in Ukraine banned carriers to travel abroad on passenger vehicles, the information of which does not indicate the environmental class, or the Euro-1 class is indicated.
