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ELVD Environment & Waste 12 min Changing in the next 12 months

ELVD: ELV Directive (Directive 2000/53/EC), explained

The ELV Directive requires that passenger cars and light commercial vehicles are designed for recycling, contain no lead, mercury, cadmium or hexavalent chromium beyond its exemptions, and can be handed in for treatment free of charge. It had to be transposed by 21 April 2002; Regulation (EU) 2026/1738, in force since 13 August 2026, repeals it from 1 September 2028.

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Reviewed 5 October 2026 by Conphora compliance team · Next review 12 March 2027 · Not legal advice

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Who it applies to

Covered by the act

  • Vehicles of category M1 (passenger cars) and N1 (light commercial vehicles) as defined in Annex IIA to Directive 70/156/EEC (read as Regulation (EU) 2018/858, which replaced the type-approval framework), and three-wheel motor vehicles as defined in Directive 92/61/EEC excluding motor tricycles, for which only Articles 5(1), 5(2) and 6 apply
  • End-of-life vehicles, meaning vehicles that are waste within the meaning of the Waste Framework Directive (Directive 75/442/EEC, read as Directive 2008/98/EC), including their components and materials, whatever their service or repair history
  • Materials and components of vehicles put on the market after 1 July 2003, which must not contain lead, mercury, cadmium or hexavalent chromium except in the Annex II cases, and spare parts for those vehicles
  • The economic operators of the vehicle life cycle: producers (vehicle manufacturers and professional importers), distributors, collectors, motor vehicle insurance companies, dismantlers, shredders, recoverers, recyclers and other treatment operators
  • Treatment facilities, which need a permit or registration and must meet the minimum technical requirements of Annex I for storage, depollution and dismantling

Derived and downstream products

  • Producers of vehicles exempt from type-approval under Article 8(2)(a) of Directive 70/156/EEC (small series) may be exempted by their Member State from Articles 7(4), 8 and 9 (Art. 3(3))
  • Special-purpose vehicles as defined in Directive 70/156/EEC are excluded from Article 7 on reuse and recovery but remain covered by the substance ban, collection and treatment rules (Art. 3(4))
  • For three-wheel motor vehicles only the collection duties of Article 5(1) and (2) and the treatment rules of Article 6 apply (Art. 3(5))
  • Spare parts put on the market after 1 July 2003 for vehicles put on the market before 1 July 2003 are exempt from the heavy-metal ban, except wheel balance weights, carbon brushes for electric motors and brake linings (Annex II, second paragraph)
  • Member States may make delivery not fully free of charge where the end-of-life vehicle lacks its essential components, in particular the engine and the coachwork, or contains added waste (Art. 5(4), third subparagraph)
  • Since 13 August 2026 lead and cadmium in vehicle batteries are governed by Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 instead of Annex II entries 5(a), 5(b)(i), 5(b)(ii) and 16 (Regulation (EU) 2026/1738, Art. 53 and Art. 57(1)(a))

Roles under the act

Producer (vehicle manufacturer or professional importer)

The vehicle manufacturer or the professional importer of a vehicle into a Member State; producers carry the take-back cost, the coding and dismantling information duties and the information duty towards buyers.

Source · Art. 2(3), Art. 5(4), Art. 8 and Art. 9(2)
Material, equipment and component manufacturer

The material and equipment manufacturers with whom vehicle manufacturers must limit hazardous substances, design for dismantling and use coding standards, and the manufacturers of components used in vehicles that must give treatment facilities dismantling, storage and testing information; their materials and components are subject to the heavy-metal ban when put on the market.

Source · Art. 2(13), Art. 4(1), Art. 4(2)(a), Art. 8(1) and Art. 8(4)
Importer of vehicles or components

A professional importer of a vehicle into a Member State is a producer under Article 2(3) and carries every producer duty. Article 2(10) does not list importers of components or materials among the economic operators; a business that imports components or materials is caught instead by Article 4(2)(a), which obliges Member States to ensure that materials and components of vehicles put on the market after 1 July 2003 comply with Annex II whoever supplies them, and it is an economic operator only where it also acts as a distributor.

Source · Art. 2(3), Art. 2(10) and Art. 4(2)(a)
Distributor (dealer or workshop)

Distributors are economic operators within the meaning of Article 2(10) that take part in the collection systems; Member States may allow dealers and collectors that are registered with the public authorities to issue the certificate of destruction on behalf of an authorised treatment facility if they guarantee the transfer of the vehicle to that facility.

Source · Art. 2(10), Art. 5(1) and Art. 5(3)
Authorised treatment facility, collector, shredder, recycler or insurer

Collectors, motor vehicle insurance companies, dismantlers, shredders, recoverers, recyclers and other treatment operators of end-of-life vehicles; any establishment carrying out treatment operations needs a permit or registration and must meet Annex I.

Source · Art. 2(5), Art. 2(10) and Art. 6(2)

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Does ELVD apply to your product?

Three questions, a first answer from the regulation’s own scope rules. No account needed.

The rules behind this check
  1. Buses and coaches (M2, M3), heavy goods vehicles (N2, N3), trailers (O), two-wheel mopeds, motorcycles and motor tricycles · any · any Not in scope The directive defines vehicle as category M1 or N1 and three-wheel motor vehicles as defined in Directive 92/61/EEC other than motor tricycles, which leaves three-wheel mopeds; buses, coaches, heavy goods vehicles, trailers, two-wheel mopeds, motorcycles and motor tricycles are outside it. Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 extends its own scope to categories M2, M3, N2, N3, O and L from 1 September 2031, without the design, substance and recycled-content requirements for the heavy categories. Source · Art. 2(1)Source · Art. 1(2)Source · Art. 2(1)(c) to (e) and Art. 2(3)
  2. Three-wheel mopeds: three-wheel motor vehicles other than motor tricycles (up to 50 cm³ and 45 km/h) · any · any It depends Three-wheel motor vehicles as defined in Directive 92/61/EEC, excluding motor tricycles, are covered only by the collection duties of Article 5(1) and (2) and the treatment rules of Article 6; the heavy-metal ban, free take-back, targets and dismantling information do not apply to them. Source · Art. 2(1) and Art. 3(5)
  3. Vehicles put on the market before 1 July 2003 and spare parts for them · any · any It depends The ban on lead, mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium applies only to materials and components of vehicles put on the market after 1 July 2003, and spare parts put on the market after that date for earlier vehicles are exempt except wheel balance weights, carbon brushes for electric motors and brake linings; the collection, free take-back (since 1 January 2007), treatment and target rules apply to these vehicles when they become waste. Source · Art. 4(2)(a), Art. 12(2) and Annex II, second paragraph
  4. Special-purpose vehicles (motor caravans, ambulances, hearses and similar) · any · any It depends Special-purpose vehicles are excluded from Article 7 on reuse and recovery, so the 95 % and 85 % targets and the encouragement of reuse do not apply to them; the substance ban, collection, certificate of destruction, free take-back, treatment and information duties do. Source · Art. 3(4)
  5. Vehicles exempt from EU type-approval as small series · Producer (vehicle manufacturer or professional importer), Importer of vehicles or components · any It depends Where a producer only makes or imports vehicles exempt from type-approval under Article 8(2)(a) of Directive 70/156/EEC, the Member State may exempt that producer and its vehicles from Article 7(4) (type-approval recyclability), Article 8 (coding and dismantling information) and Article 9 (reporting and information); the substance ban, free take-back and treatment rules still apply. Source · Art. 3(3)
  6. Components, materials and spare parts for M1 and N1 vehicles · Material, equipment and component manufacturer, Importer of vehicles or components, Distributor (dealer or workshop), Producer (vehicle manufacturer or professional importer) · any In scope Materials and components of vehicles put on the market after 1 July 2003 must not contain lead, mercury, cadmium or hexavalent chromium beyond the Annex II exemptions and the 0,1 % and 0,01 % tolerance per homogeneous material, whoever supplies them; component manufacturers must also give authorised treatment facilities dismantling, storage and testing information on request and use the coding standards. Source · Art. 3(1), Art. 4(2)(a), Art. 8(1), Art. 8(4) and Annex II
  7. End-of-life vehicles handed in as waste · Authorised treatment facility, collector, shredder, recycler or insurer, Distributor (dealer or workshop), Producer (vehicle manufacturer or professional importer), Importer of vehicles or components · any In scope An end-of-life vehicle is a vehicle that is waste; it must be transferred to an authorised treatment facility that issues the certificate of destruction needed for deregistration, stores and treats it according to Annex I and contributes to the reuse, recovery and recycling targets, and the producer bears all or a significant part of the cost of free take-back. Source · Art. 2(2), Art. 5(2) to (4), Art. 6 and Art. 7(2)
  8. Passenger cars (category M1), Light commercial vehicles (category N1), New vehicle types type-approved for reusability, recyclability and recoverability under Directive 2005/64/EC · Producer (vehicle manufacturer or professional importer), Importer of vehicles or components, Material, equipment and component manufacturer, Distributor (dealer or workshop), Authorised treatment facility, collector, shredder, recycler or insurer · any In scope Passenger cars and light commercial vehicles and their components and materials are covered irrespective of how the vehicle was serviced or repaired; the producer must design for dismantling, respect the heavy-metal ban, provide dismantling information within six months of putting a new type on the market, inform buyers and fund free take-back. Directive 2005/64/EC adds a type-approval check: new M1 and N1 types must be reusable and/or recyclable to at least 85 % and reusable and/or recoverable to at least 95 % by mass under point 1 of its Annex I, and the approval authority verifies in the preliminary assessment of the manufacturer that the materials comply with Article 4(2)(a) of this directive; it does not apply to special purpose vehicles, to multi-stage built N1 vehicles whose base vehicle complies, or to vehicles produced in small series. There is no company-size threshold. Source · Art. 2(1), Art. 3(1), Art. 4, Art. 5(4), Art. 8(3) and Art. 9(2)Source · Art. 1, Art. 3, Art. 5(1), Art. 6(2) and Annex I, point 1
  9. any · any · any It depends Whether the directive applies turns on the vehicle category, on whether the vehicle was put on the market after 1 July 2003, on whether it has become waste and on the role of the operator; from 1 September 2028 Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 takes over with the transitional periods of its Article 57. Source · Art. 2 and Art. 3Source · Art. 57

Key dates

  1. Directive 2000/53/EC adopted by the European Parliament and the Council Source · title
  2. Entry into force on the day of publication in OJ L 269 of 21 October 2000 Source · Art. 12(1)
  3. Deadline for the Commission to amend Annex II for the first time; no exemption could be deleted before 1 January 2003 Source · Art. 4(2)(c)
  4. Deadline for Member States to transpose the directive; Articles 4(1), 5(1), 7(1), 8(1), 8(3) and 9(2) and the detailed rules of Article 5(4) may be implemented through enforceable agreements with the economic sectors Source · Art. 10(1) and Art. 10(3)
  5. Free take-back applies to vehicles put on the market from this date: delivery to an authorised treatment facility must be without cost for the last holder, with producers meeting all or a significant part of the cost Source · Art. 5(4) and Art. 12(2)
  6. Commission Decision 2002/525/EC applies: first revision of Annex II with the 0,1 % and 0,01 % maximum concentration values per homogeneous material Source · Art. 1 and Art. 3
  7. Heavy-metal ban: materials and components of vehicles put on the market after this date must not contain lead, mercury, cadmium or hexavalent chromium other than in the cases listed in Annex II Source · Art. 4(2)(a)
  8. First targets: reuse and recovery of at least 85 % and reuse and recycling of at least 80 % by average weight per vehicle and year; Member States could set 75 % and 70 % for vehicles produced before 1 January 1980 Source · Art. 7(2)(a)
  9. Free take-back extends to vehicles put on the market before 1 July 2002 Source · Art. 12(2)
  10. Current targets: reuse and recovery of at least 95 % and reuse and recycling of at least 85 % by average weight per vehicle and year Source · Art. 7(2)(b)
  11. Directive (EU) 2018/849 in force: the Commission may amend Annexes I and II and set the certificate of destruction and coding standards by delegated act, annual data reporting on the targets replaces the three-yearly implementation reports, and the Commission had to review the directive by 31 December 2020 Source · Art. 1 and Art. 5
  12. Deadline for Member States to transpose Directive (EU) 2018/849 Source · Art. 4(1)
  13. Deadline for the Commission to review the directive and report to the European Parliament and the Council, with a legislative proposal if appropriate; the proposal COM(2023) 451 followed on 13 July 2023 Source · Art. 10aSource
  14. Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2023/544 in force: the current Annex II, with 16 numbered entries in 42 lines; transposition by 1 June 2023 Source · Art. 2 and Art. 3
  15. Exemptions 5(b)(ii) (lead in batteries outside 5(a) and 5(b)(i)), 8(f)(ii) (compliant pin connector systems outside the mating area) and 8(k) (soldering of heating applications to laminated glazing) cover only vehicles type-approved before this date and their spare parts Source · Annex II, entries 5(b)(ii), 8(f)(ii) and 8(k)
  16. Exemption 14(b) (hexavalent chromium in the cooling system of absorption refrigerators with an electrical heater of 75 W or more) covers only vehicles type-approved before this date and their spare parts Source · Annex II, entry 14
  17. Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 on circularity requirements for vehicle design and management of end-of-life vehicles enters into force; Annex II entries 5(a), 5(b)(i), 5(b)(ii) and 16 (lead and cadmium in batteries) cease to apply and the battery substance rules move to Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 Source · Art. 53, Art. 57(1)(a) and Art. 59
  18. The empowerments for delegated and implementing acts in Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 apply, including those on substances of concern, recycled content, the certificate of destruction and reporting Source · Art. 59(2)
  19. Exemption 2(c)(i) (lead up to 0,4 % in aluminium alloys for machining purposes) covers only vehicles type-approved before this date and their spare parts Source · Annex II, entry 2(c)(i)
  20. Directive 2000/53/EC repealed and Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 applies, subject to the continued application of the substance ban, the treatment, information, target and reporting provisions listed in Article 57(1) Source · Art. 57(1) and Art. 59(2)
  21. End of the continued application of Article 5(4) second subparagraph (producer cost), Article 6(3) second subparagraph, Article 7(1) and Article 8(3) and (4) (dismantling information), of Article 6(3) first subparagraph and Annex I (treatment), and of Article 9(1a) first and third subparagraphs, Article 9(1b) and Article 9(1d) (reporting); the second subparagraph of Article 9(1a) runs until 31 August 2031. From 1 September 2029 extended producer responsibility, treatment and penalties under Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 take over. Source · Art. 16(1), Art. 49 og Art. 57(1)(b), (c), (e) og (f)
  22. End of the continued application of the Article 7(2)(b) targets; from 1 January 2030 the 95 % and 85 % targets, excluding batteries, apply under Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 Source · Art. 33(1) and Art. 57(1)(d)
  23. End of the continued application of Article 4(2) and Annex II; from 1 September 2032 vehicle types type-approved under Regulation (EU) 2018/858 and new parts for them must not contain lead, mercury, cadmium or hexavalent chromium except under Annex IV of Regulation (EU) 2026/1738, and Directive 2005/64/EC is repealed Source · Art. 5(4), Art. 5(5), Art. 57(1)(a) and Art. 57(2)

What you must do

Obligations by role

Producer (vehicle manufacturer or professional importer)8
  • Ensure that materials and components of vehicles you put on the market after 1 July 2003 contain no lead, mercury, cadmium or hexavalent chromium other than in the Annex II cases and under their conditions, within the tolerance of 0,1 % lead, mercury and hexavalent chromium and 0,01 % cadmium by weight per homogeneous material. Art. 4(2)(a) and Annex II
  • Track the expiry and review dates of the Annex II exemptions you rely on, in particular 2(c)(i) aluminium alloys for machining (vehicles type-approved before 1 January 2028), 8(f)(ii), 8(k) and 5(b)(ii) (before 1 January 2024) and 14(b) (before 1 January 2026), and note that entries 5(a), 5(b)(i), 5(b)(ii) and 16 ceased to apply on 13 August 2026 in favour of the Batteries Regulation. Annex IIArt. 57(1)(a)
  • Meet all, or a significant part of, the costs of free take-back, or take back end-of-life vehicles yourself, so that delivery to an authorised treatment facility costs the last holder or owner nothing even if the vehicle has no or a negative market value; in Denmark a producer outside a collective scheme that places more than 20 vehicles a year must let owners deliver to any dealer selling its vehicles or to a storage site or registered treatment operator within 50 km, and may only charge for a missing engine, gearbox or catalytic converter, capped both at the material value of the missing components at the time of delivery and at 300 kr. for a missing engine, 100 kr. for a missing gearbox and 100 kr. for a missing catalytic converter. Art. 5(4)§ 29 and § 30
  • Use component and material coding standards, in concert with material and equipment manufacturers, so that components and materials suitable for reuse and recovery can be identified. Art. 8(1)
  • Label or make identifiable the Annex II components marked for stripping before further treatment. Art. 4(2)(b)(iv) and Annex II
  • Provide dismantling information for each type of new vehicle within six months after it is put on the market, identifying the components and materials and the location of all hazardous substances as far as treatment facilities need it, in manuals or electronic media. Art. 2(13) and Art. 8(3)
  • Publish information on the recoverable and recyclable design of your vehicles, their environmentally sound treatment, the development of reuse and recycling and the progress achieved, make it accessible to prospective buyers and include it in the promotional literature for new vehicles. Art. 9(2)
  • Register in the national producer register where national law requires it; in Denmark the register is kept by Dansk Producentansvar, registration must be completed at the latest 14 days before you first place new or used vehicles on the market, cessation must be notified within four weeks, and placing vehicles on the market without registration is a punishable offence. Prepare for extended producer responsibility under Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 from 1 September 2029. § 47, § 48, § 51, § 52 og § 64, stk. 1, nr. 28Art. 16(1)
Material, equipment and component manufacturer5
  • Do not put on the market materials or components for vehicles that contain lead, mercury, cadmium or hexavalent chromium above 0,1 % (0,01 % for cadmium) by weight in any homogeneous material unless an Annex II entry covers the application and the vehicle falls within its scope and expiry date. Art. 4(2)(a) and Annex II
  • Apply the component and material coding standards in concert with producers so that reusable and recoverable components and materials can be identified at treatment. Art. 8(1)
  • Make appropriate information on the dismantling, storage and testing of reusable components available to authorised treatment facilities that request it, without prejudice to commercial and industrial confidentiality. Art. 8(4)
  • Label or otherwise make identifiable the components covered by the Annex II entries marked for stripping, such as batteries, vibration dampers, solders where the 60 g per vehicle threshold is exceeded, thermoelectric materials, absorption refrigerators and mercury lamps, so that treatment facilities can remove them before shredding. Art. 4(2)(b)(iv), Art. 6(3)(a) and Annex II, third column and notes 5 and 6
  • Supply the material data the vehicle manufacturer needs for type-approval under Directive 2005/64/EC. Directive 2005/64/EC adds a type-approval check: new M1 and N1 types must be reusable and/or recyclable to at least 85 % and reusable and/or recoverable to at least 95 % by mass under point 1 of its Annex I, and the approval authority verifies in the preliminary assessment of the manufacturer that the materials comply with Article 4(2)(a) of this directive; it does not apply to special purpose vehicles, to multi-stage built N1 vehicles whose base vehicle complies, or to vehicles produced in small series. Art. 1, Art. 3, Art. 5(1), Art. 5(2), Art. 6(2) and Annex I, point 1
Importer of vehicles or components6
  • As a professional importer of vehicles into a Member State you are the producer under Article 2(3) and carry the producer duties: the substance ban, free take-back cost, coding, dismantling information and buyer information. Art. 2(3), Art. 4(2)(a), Art. 5(4), Art. 8 and Art. 9(2)
  • Check before import that materials and components of vehicles put on the market after 1 July 2003 comply with Annex II, including the spare-parts rule and the 0,1 % and 0,01 % tolerance per homogeneous material. Art. 4(2)(a) and Annex II
  • Provide dismantling information for each new vehicle type within six months of putting it on the market, or make sure the manufacturer's information is available to the authorised treatment facilities in the Member State of import. Art. 2(13) and Art. 8(3)
  • Register with the national producer register; in Denmark importers of passenger and light commercial vehicles register with Dansk Producentansvar at least 14 days before first placing vehicles on the market and pay a one-off fee of 1 000 kr. (500 kr. if already registered under the batteries or WEEE order) and an annual fee of at least 250 kr. § 47, § 48, § 52, § 56 og § 57
  • Either join a collective scheme or ensure yourself that owners can hand in end-of-life vehicles free of charge; in Denmark a producer outside a collective scheme placing more than 20 vehicles a year must provide take-back within 50 km. § 29
  • Make the Article 9(2) information on recoverability, treatment and progress accessible to prospective buyers and include it in the promotional literature used to market the new vehicles. Art. 9(2)
Distributor (dealer or workshop)3
  • Take part, as an economic operator, in the systems set up for the collection of all end-of-life vehicles and, as far as technically feasible, of waste used parts removed when passenger cars are repaired. Art. 2(10) and Art. 5(1)
  • Hand end-of-life vehicles you receive over to an authorised treatment facility; in Denmark dealers and workshops must transfer them to the registered treatment operator they have an agreement with, and failing to do so is a punishable offence. Art. 5(2)§ 11 and § 64, stk. 1, nr. 7
  • Issue the certificate of destruction on behalf of an authorised treatment facility only where your Member State permits it, you are registered with the public authorities and you guarantee the transfer of the vehicle to that facility; issuing it gives no right to reimbursement unless the Member State has arranged one. Art. 5(3)
Authorised treatment facility, collector, shredder, recycler or insurer8
  • Obtain a permit from, or register with, the competent authorities before carrying out any treatment operation; the registration derogation is only available for recovery operations on already depolluted waste after an annual inspection of the waste types and quantities, technical requirements and safety precautions. Art. 6(2) and Art. 6(4)
  • Store, even temporarily, and treat end-of-life vehicles in accordance with the waste hierarchy and Article 4 of Directive 2008/98/EC and with the minimum technical requirements of Annex I: impermeable surfaces with spillage collection, water treatment, segregated storage of fluids, batteries, filters, PCB condensers and tyres. Art. 6(1) and Annex I, points 1, 2 and 5
  • Strip end-of-life vehicles before further treatment, remove and segregate hazardous materials and components so that shredder waste is not contaminated, and carry out depollution as soon as possible: removal of batteries and LPG tanks, neutralisation of airbags and other explosive components, draining of all fluids and removal of mercury-containing components. Art. 6(3) and Annex I, point 3
  • Remove catalysts and glass before shredding, and remove metal components containing copper, aluminium or magnesium, tyres and large plastic components such as bumpers, dashboards and fluid containers unless the shredding process segregates those materials so that they can be effectively recycled as materials; store components so that reusable parts and fluids are not damaged. Art. 6(3)(c) and Annex I, points 4 and 5
  • Issue the certificate of destruction to the holder or owner when the end-of-life vehicle is transferred to you; it is the condition for deregistration and must be recognised in every Member State. In Denmark it is issued through the digital system of Dansk Producentansvar and sent by Digital Post. Art. 5(3) and Art. 5(5)§ 10
  • Attain the targets of at least 95 % reuse and recovery and 85 % reuse and recycling by average weight per vehicle and year. Art. 7(2)(b)
  • Keep the records the Member State needs to report the reuse, recycling and recovery data electronically within 18 months of the end of each year, with a quality check report. Art. 9(1a) and Art. 9(1b)
  • Consider a certified environmental management system, which Member States must encourage; in Denmark anyone treating vehicles professionally must operate an environmental management system in accordance with ISO 14001 or be registered under EMAS, the system must cover every activity regulated by the order and be certified by a body accredited by DANAK or an equivalent EA signatory, and the certification body must notify Miljøstyrelsen and the supervisory authority within eight days if the certificate is withdrawn. Art. 6(5)§ 7, stk. 1–4, og § 64, stk. 1, nr. 4

ELVD in plain terms

The ELV Directive, formally Directive 2000/53/EC of 18 September 2000 on end-of-life vehicles, aims first at preventing waste from vehicles and then at the reuse, recycling and recovery of end-of-life vehicles and their components, and at improving the environmental performance of every economic operator in the vehicle life cycle, especially the treatment operators (Art. 1). It works through four mechanisms: a ban on lead, mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium in materials and components of vehicles put on the market after 1 July 2003, subject to the Annex II exemptions (Art. 4(2)); free take-back of end-of-life vehicles with a certificate of destruction as the condition for deregistration (Art. 5); permits, depollution and storage standards for treatment facilities (Art. 6 and Annex I); and targets of 95 % reuse and recovery and 85 % reuse and recycling by average vehicle weight since 1 January 2015 (Art. 7(2)).

As a directive it is addressed to the Member States, which had to transpose it by 21 April 2002 (Art. 10 and Art. 13). It entered into force on the day of its publication, 21 October 2000 (Art. 12(1)). The consolidated text of 30 March 2023 incorporates sixteen amending acts, all but three of them revisions of Annex II. On 13 August 2026 Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 on circularity requirements for vehicle design and on management of end-of-life vehicles entered into force; it repeals the directive from 1 September 2028 with transitional periods that keep the substance ban and Annex II alive until 31 August 2032 (Regulation (EU) 2026/1738, Art. 57 and Art. 59).

Official text Read the directive on EUR-Lex: Directive 2000/53/EC (CELEX 32000L0053), the consolidated text of 30 March 2023 with the current Annex II, and the repealing Regulation (EU) 2026/1738.

Scope

A vehicle is any vehicle designated as category M1 (passenger cars) or N1 (light commercial vehicles) in the type-approval framework, originally Annex IIA to Directive 70/156/EEC and today Regulation (EU) 2018/858, and a three-wheel motor vehicle as defined in Directive 92/61/EEC excluding motor tricycles (Art. 2(1)). An end-of-life vehicle is a vehicle that is waste under the Waste Framework Directive (Art. 2(2)). The directive covers vehicles and end-of-life vehicles including their components and materials, irrespective of how the vehicle was serviced or repaired and whether it carries original or other spare parts (Art. 3(1)), and it applies without prejudice to safety, emission, noise, soil and water legislation (Art. 3(2)).

Three carve-outs narrow the duties rather than the scope. Member States may exempt a producer that only makes or imports small-series vehicles exempt from type-approval from Article 7(4), Article 8 and Article 9 (Art. 3(3)). Special-purpose vehicles are excluded from Article 7 on reuse and recovery (Art. 3(4)). For three-wheel motor vehicles only Article 5(1), 5(2) and Article 6 apply (Art. 3(5)). Buses, lorries, trailers and motorcycles are outside the directive altogether; Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 extends its scope to categories M2, M3, N2, N3, O and L from 1 September 2031 (Regulation (EU) 2026/1738, Art. 2(1)).

The duties fall on the economic operators: producers, distributors, collectors, motor vehicle insurance companies, dismantlers, shredders, recoverers, recyclers and other treatment operators (Art. 2(10)). The producer is the vehicle manufacturer or the professional importer of a vehicle into a Member State (Art. 2(3)); material and equipment manufacturers and component manufacturers share the design, coding and information duties (Art. 4(1), Art. 8(1) and Art. 8(4)).

The heavy-metal ban and Annex II

Member States must ensure that materials and components of vehicles put on the market after 1 July 2003 do not contain lead, mercury, cadmium or hexavalent chromium other than in the cases listed in Annex II under the conditions specified there (Art. 4(2)(a)). Annex II tolerates up to 0,1 % by weight in homogeneous material for lead, hexavalent chromium and mercury and up to 0,01 % for cadmium, and exempts spare parts put on the market after 1 July 2003 for vehicles put on the market before that date, except wheel balance weights, carbon brushes for electric motors and brake linings (Annex II, first and second paragraphs). The Commission adapts the annex to technical and scientific progress by delegated act, one act per substance, material or component, and may set tolerated concentrations, add or delete exemptions and designate components that must be labelled or made identifiable so that they can be stripped before treatment (Art. 4(2)(b), as amended by Directive (EU) 2018/849).

The current annex, set by Delegated Directive (EU) 2023/544, has 16 numbered entries in 42 lines. Lead dominates: as an alloying element in steel (1(a) without expiry, 1(b) for vehicles type-approved before 1 January 2016), aluminium (2(c)(i) for machining alloys up to 0,4 % for vehicles type-approved before 1 January 2028, 2(c)(ii) for recycled-aluminium alloys, reviewed in 2024) and copper alloys up to 4 % (entry 3, reviewed in 2025); bearing shells; vibration dampers; elastomer agents; the solder and finish entries 8(a) to 8(k), of which 8(e) high-melting-temperature solders and 8(g)(ii) flip-chip solders have no expiry while 8(f)(ii) and 8(k) cover only vehicles type-approved before 1 January 2024; glass and ceramic components in 10(a) to 10(d); valve seats; pyrotechnic initiators; and thermoelectric materials. Hexavalent chromium survives in corrosion coatings as spare parts and in the cooling system of absorption refrigerators (14(a) type-approval before 1 January 2020, 14(b) before 1 January 2026, 14(c) non-electrical heaters without expiry); mercury in discharge headlamps and instrument panel tubes for vehicles type-approved before 1 July 2012; cadmium in batteries for electrical vehicles as spare parts for vehicles put on the market before 31 December 2008 (Annex II). Entries marked in the third column must be labelled or made identifiable, and solders and glass or ceramic components must be dismantled where more than 60 g per vehicle is exceeded (Annex II, notes 5 and 6).

Since 13 August 2026 the battery entries 5(a), 5(b)(i), 5(b)(ii) and 16 no longer apply: Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 moved the limits for cadmium and lead in electric vehicle, SLI and portable batteries in M1 and N1 vehicles into Annex I of the Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 (Regulation (EU) 2026/1738, Art. 53, Art. 57(1)(a) and Annex XII). The rest of Article 4(2) and Annex II continue to apply until 31 August 2032; for vehicle types approved from 1 September 2032 the ban continues under Article 5(4) of the regulation with its own Annex IV of exemptions (Regulation (EU) 2026/1738, Art. 5(4) and (5)).

What you must do

Producers (vehicle manufacturers and professional importers) should expect national measures encouraging them, in liaison with material and equipment manufacturers, to limit hazardous substances from the conception of the vehicle onwards, to design and produce new vehicles so that they can be dismantled, reused and recovered, and to integrate an increasing quantity of recycled material: Article 4(1) obliges the Member States to encourage these things rather than binding producers directly, and the corresponding duties become directly binding under Articles 4 to 7 of Regulation (EU) 2026/1738. Producers must respect the heavy-metal ban (Art. 4(2)(a)); meet all or a significant part of the cost of free take-back or take end-of-life vehicles back themselves (Art. 5(4)); use component and material coding standards (Art. 8(1)); provide dismantling information for each new vehicle type within six months of putting it on the market, identifying components, materials and the location of hazardous substances (Art. 8(3)); and publish information on recoverable design, environmentally sound treatment and progress, make it accessible to prospective buyers and include it in promotional literature (Art. 9(2)). Directive 2005/64/EC adds a type-approval check: new M1 and N1 types must be reusable and/or recyclable to at least 85 % and reusable and/or recoverable to at least 95 % by mass under point 1 of its Annex I, and the approval authority verifies in the preliminary assessment of the manufacturer that the materials comply with Article 4(2)(a) of this directive; it does not apply to special purpose vehicles, to multi-stage built N1 vehicles whose base vehicle complies, or to vehicles produced in small series (Directive 2005/64/EC, Art. 1, Art. 3, Art. 5(1), Art. 6(2) and Annex I, point 1).

Component and material manufacturers are bound by the same substance limits for what they put on the market, take part in the design and coding work, label the Annex II components marked for stripping, and give authorised treatment facilities information on the dismantling, storage and testing of reusable components on request (Art. 4, Art. 8(1) and Art. 8(4)). Distributors take part in the collection systems, pass end-of-life vehicles to authorised treatment facilities and, where the Member State allows and they are registered, may issue the certificate of destruction on a facility’s behalf (Art. 5(1) to (3)).

Treatment facilities need a permit or registration (Art. 6(2)), must store and treat vehicles in line with the waste hierarchy and the Annex I requirements on impermeable surfaces, spillage collection, water treatment and segregated storage (Art. 6(1) and Annex I), must strip labelled components, remove and segregate hazardous materials and depollute as soon as possible by removing batteries, LPG tanks, airbags, all fluids and mercury components (Art. 6(3) and Annex I, point 3), must remove catalysts and glass before shredding, and remove metal components containing copper, aluminium or magnesium, tyres and large plastic components such as bumpers, dashboards and fluid containers unless the shredding process segregates those materials so that they can be effectively recycled as materials, storing components so that reusable parts and fluids are not damaged (Annex I, points 4 and 5), and must issue the certificate of destruction that the holder needs to deregister the vehicle (Art. 5(3)). Together the economic operators must attain reuse and recovery of at least 95 % and reuse and recycling of at least 85 % by average weight per vehicle and year (Art. 7(2)(b)), and Member States report the data electronically within 18 months of the reporting year with a quality check report (Art. 9(1a) and (1b)).

The transition to Regulation (EU) 2026/1738

Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 was adopted on 8 July 2026, published on 24 July 2026 and entered into force on 13 August 2026; it applies from 1 September 2028, with the empowerments for delegated and implementing acts applying from 14 September 2026 (Art. 59). It repeals Directive 2000/53/EC from 1 September 2028 and Directive 2005/64/EC from 31 August 2032, but keeps the directive’s substance ban and Annex II until 31 August 2032, its producer cost, treatment, Annex I, dismantling information and reporting provisions until 31 August 2029, the second subparagraph of Article 9(1a) until 31 August 2031 and the Article 7(2)(b) targets until 31 December 2030 (Art. 57(1) and (2)). Under the regulation, extended producer responsibility and the national penalties start on 1 September 2029 (Art. 16(1) and Art. 49), the 95 % and 85 % targets, calculated excluding batteries, apply from 1 January 2030 with a 30 % plastics recycling target from 1 January 2032 (Art. 33), delivery remains free of charge for the last owner unless essential parts are missing or waste has been added (Art. 24), the certificate of destruction becomes electronic and is recognised in every Member State (Art. 25), and the scope widens to heavy vehicles, trailers and L-category vehicles from 1 September 2031 (Art. 2(1)).

Enforcement and penalties

The directive has no penalty article: the Member States transpose it, designate the authorities that permit or register treatment facilities and run the deregistration system, and choose their own sanctions (Art. 6(2), Art. 5(3), Art. 10 and Art. 13). The directive is listed in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, so the market surveillance powers of that regulation apply to vehicles and components as products, and, as point 10 of its Annex II — the list of Union harmonisation legislation without provisions on penalties — it obliges Member States under Article 41(1) of that regulation to lay down effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties for infringements of the directive that impose obligations on economic operators (Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, Art. 41(1), Annex I, point 13 and Annex II, point 10). Article 54 of Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 deletes points 10 and 11 of that Annex II, that is both this directive and Directive 2005/64/EC. By 1 September 2029 Member States must lay down effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties for infringements of the regulation’s core provisions (Regulation (EU) 2026/1738, Art. 49).

In Denmark the directive is implemented by bilskrotbekendtgørelsen (BEK nr. 1654 af 29. december 2022, in force since 5 January 2023, as amended by BEK nr. 1492 af 1. december 2025), issued under miljøbeskyttelsesloven. Miljøstyrelsen registers the waste treatment operators, administers producer responsibility and the scrapping premium scheme and grants dispensations; Dansk Producentansvar keeps the producer register, runs the digital certificate of destruction and decides on the scrapping premium of 2 770 kr. for cars registered after 1 July 2000; and the municipal councils supervise compliance with the order generally, including the treatment sites, while Miljøstyrelsen supervises §§ 29 to 58 on extended producer responsibility, collective schemes, the producer register and the fees (BEK 1654/2022, §§ 7, 8, 10, 25, 47, 51 and 62; Miljøstyrelsen, Biler og producentansvar). A producer outside a collective scheme that places more than 20 vehicles a year must let owners deliver end-of-life vehicles to any dealer selling its vehicles or to a site within 50 km, and may only charge for a missing engine, gearbox or catalytic converter, capped both at the material value of the missing components at the time of delivery and at 300 kr. for a missing engine, 100 kr. for a missing gearbox and 100 kr. for a missing catalytic converter (§§ 29 and 30). Infringements are punished with fines, rising to imprisonment of up to two years where the offence was intentional or grossly negligent and harmed the environment or brought economic gain, and companies can be held liable (§§ 64 and 66).

How Conphora helps

Conphora monitors the ELV Directive, every delegated act that renews or closes an Annex II exemption and the staged application of Regulation (EU) 2026/1738, maps your vehicles, components and materials against the heavy-metal limits and the exemptions you rely on with their type-approval cut-offs, and flags expiring entries in time for substitution. The platform helps you keep the dismantling information, coding, take-back and producer-register evidence in one place, and alerts you when the transition dates for extended producer responsibility, the new targets and the Annex IV substance rules change what you must do.

See how Conphora works · See plans and pricing

Sources

This guide is for general information and is not legal advice.

Penalties

Enforced by The directive is addressed to the Member States, which transpose it and designate the competent authorities that permit or register treatment facilities, run the deregistration system built on the certificate of destruction and check the substance ban and the targets; the directive is listed in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, so the market surveillance rules of that regulation apply to vehicles and components as products. In Denmark the rules are in bilskrotbekendtgørelsen (BEK nr. 1654 af 29. december 2022, in force since 5 January 2023, as amended by BEK nr. 1492 af 1. december 2025), issued under miljøbeskyttelsesloven: Miljøstyrelsen registers the waste treatment operators and administers the producer responsibility and scrapping premium schemes, Dansk Producentansvar keeps the producer register, runs the digital certificate of destruction and decides on the scrapping premium, and the municipal councils supervise compliance with the order generally, including the treatment sites, while Miljøstyrelsen supervises §§ 29 to 58 on extended producer responsibility, collective schemes, the producer register and the fees. The toolkit is refusal or withdrawal of registration and certificates, orders to hand vehicles over to registered operators, fines and, for intentional or grossly negligent infringements that harm the environment or bring economic gain, imprisonment of up to two years.

Directive 2000/53/EC contains no penalty article: it is addressed to the Member States, which had to transpose it by 21 April 2002 and enforce it through their own permit, registration and deregistration systems and their national sanctions; Directive (EU) 2018/849 added reporting and delegated-act provisions but no penalties. The directive is listed in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, so the market surveillance powers of that regulation apply to vehicles and components as products, and, as point 10 of its Annex II — the list of Union harmonisation legislation without provisions on penalties — it obliges Member States under Article 41(1) of that regulation to lay down effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties for infringements of the directive that impose obligations on economic operators. Article 54 of Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 deletes points 10 and 11 of that Annex II, that is both this directive and Directive 2005/64/EC. Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 changes this: by 1 September 2029 Member States must lay down effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties for infringements of its provisions on authorised treatment facilities, extended producer responsibility, collection, delivery, the certificate of destruction, treatment, the targets, the landfill ban, vehicle transfer and export. In Denmark bilskrotbekendtgørelsen (BEK nr. 1654 af 29. december 2022, in force since 5 January 2023, as amended by BEK nr. 1492 af 1. december 2025) punishes with a fine, among other things, failure to hand in or receive end-of-life vehicles correctly, operating without registration or certification, failing to issue the certificate of destruction, breaching the depollution and storage rules, missing the reuse and recovery requirements, charging owners more than allowed and placing vehicles on the market without registration with Dansk Producentansvar; the penalty rises to imprisonment of up to two years where the offence was intentional or grossly negligent and harmed the environment or brought economic gain, and companies can be held criminally liable.

Source · Art. 10 and Art. 13Source · Annex I, point 13 and Annex II, point 10Source · Art. 49 and Art. 54Source · § 62, § 64, stk. 1 og stk. 2, § 65 og § 66, som ændret ved https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2025/1492

What changed

Entry into force, amendments and Compliance Radar entries for ELVD, newest first.

  1. Applies

    Heavy-metal ban continues under Regulation (EU) 2026/1738; Annex II of the directive expires

    Article 4(2) and Annex II of the directive cease to apply on 31 August 2032; from this date vehicle types type-approved under Regulation (EU) 2018/858 and new parts and components for them must not contain lead, mercury, cadmium or hexavalent chromium except under the conditions and maximum concentration values of Annex IV to the regulation, and Directive 2005/64/EC is repealed.

    Source · Art. 5(4), Art. 5(5), Art. 57(1)(a) and Art. 57(2)
  2. Applies

    Targets of Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 apply

    Producers, or their producer responsibility organisations, must ensure that waste management operators achieve reuse and recovery of at least 95 % and reuse and recycling of at least 85 % by average weight per vehicle and year, excluding batteries; the directive's Article 7(2)(b) targets remain applicable until 31 December 2030 and a 30 % plastics recycling target follows from 1 January 2032.

    Source · Art. 33 and Art. 57(1)(d)
  3. Applies

    Extended producer responsibility, treatment duties and penalties under Regulation (EU) 2026/1738

    From this date producers have extended producer responsibility for the vehicles they first make available in a Member State and Member States must have laid down penalties for infringements of the regulation's rules on treatment facilities, producer responsibility, collection, delivery, the certificate of destruction, treatment, targets, the landfill ban, vehicle transfer and export; the directive's Article 6(3), Annex I, Article 8(3) and (4), Article 5(4) second subparagraph and the reporting paragraphs cease to apply on 31 August 2029.

    Source · Art. 16(1), Art. 49 and Art. 57(1)(b), (c) and (e)
  4. Applies

    Directive 2000/53/EC repealed; Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 applies

    The regulation applies in full from this date and the directive is repealed, with the provisions listed in Article 57(1) continuing to apply until between 31 August 2029 and 31 August 2032; references to the directive are read as references to the regulation per the correlation table in Annex XV.

    Source · Art. 57(1), Art. 57(3) and Art. 59(2)
  5. Guidance

    Applicability check: three-wheelers and L-category vehicles separated

    The out-of-scope category no longer names "other L-category vehicles", which overlapped the covered three-wheelers. Under Article 2(1) the directive covers three-wheel motor vehicles as defined in Directive 92/61/EEC other than motor tricycles, which leaves three-wheel mopeds of up to 50 cm³ and 45 km/h; two-wheel mopeds, motorcycles and motor tricycles are outside it.

    Source · Art. 2(1) and Art. 3(5)Source · Art. 1(2)
  6. Guidance

    Guide rebuilt from the consolidated text and Regulation (EU) 2026/1738

    The body was rewritten from the consolidated text of 30 March 2023, the seventeen amending and repealing acts, Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, Directive 2005/64/EC and the Danish bilskrotbekendtgørelse. Corrections to the previous text: the heavy-metal ban applies to vehicles put on the market after 1 July 2003, not 1 January 2003; the directive entered into force on 21 October 2000, not on adoption in September 2000; the replacing act is no longer a proposal under negotiation but Regulation (EU) 2026/1738, in force since 13 August 2026; and the Danish producer register is kept by Dansk Producentansvar under bilskrotbekendtgørelsen.

    Source · Art. 4(2)(a) and Art. 12Source · Art. 59
  7. Amendment

    Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 in force; battery exemptions in Annex II cease

    The regulation of 8 July 2026, published in the Official Journal on 24 July 2026, entered into force on the twentieth day after publication. From this date Annex II entries 5(a), 5(b)(i), 5(b)(ii) and 16 on lead and cadmium in vehicle batteries no longer apply, as Annex XII of the regulation moves the limits for cadmium and lead in electric vehicle, SLI and portable batteries in M1 and N1 vehicles into Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542; the empowerments for delegated and implementing acts apply from 14 September 2026.

    Source · Art. 53, Art. 57(1)(a), Art. 59 and Annex XII
  8. Amendment

    Delegated Directive (EU) 2023/544 sets the current Annex II

    Exemption 2(c)(i) for lead in aluminium alloys for machining purposes was limited to vehicles type-approved before 1 January 2028, entry 3 copper alloys got a review in 2025, and lead in batteries outside high-voltage systems was split into 5(b)(i) 12 V and special-purpose 24 V applications (review in 2025) and 5(b)(ii) other applications for vehicles type-approved before 1 January 2024; Member States had to transpose by 1 June 2023.

    Source · Art. 1, Art. 2 and Annex
  9. Amendment

    Delegated Directives (EU) 2020/362 and 2020/363 in force

    Entry 14 on hexavalent chromium in absorption refrigerators was split into three sub-entries with expiries at type-approval before 1 January 2020 and 1 January 2026, and the lead solder exemptions were reshaped: 8(f)(ii) limited to vehicles type-approved before 1 January 2024, 8(g) split at 1 October 2022 with a narrower scope for later types, and the new entry 8(k) for heating solders on laminated glazing; both directives entered into force the day after publication and had to be transposed by 5 April 2020.

    Source · Art. 1 to Art. 3 and AnnexSource · Art. 1 to Art. 3 and Annex
  10. Amendment

    Directive (EU) 2018/849 in force: delegated acts, annual reporting, review clause

    The Commission may amend Annexes I and II and adopt the certificate of destruction requirements and coding standards by delegated act under the new Article 9a, treatment must follow the waste hierarchy, the three-yearly implementation reports were replaced by annual electronic reporting of target data within 18 months plus a quality check report, and the Commission had to review the directive by 31 December 2020; transposition by 5 July 2020, no penalty provision.

    Source · Art. 1, Art. 4 and Art. 5
  11. Amendment

    Commission Directive (EU) 2017/2096 splits the aluminium and battery exemptions

    Aluminium alloys with up to 0,4 % lead were split into 2(c)(i) and 2(c)(ii) with separate review dates, copper alloys got a new review date, and lead in batteries was split into 5(a) high-voltage propulsion batteries for vehicles type-approved before 1 January 2019 and 5(b) other batteries; transposition by 6 June 2018.

    Source · Art. 1, Art. 2 and Annex
  12. Amendment

    Commission Directive (EU) 2016/774 closes the 2014 review of the solder exemptions

    Exemptions 8(h), 8(j) and 10(d) received expiry dates of 1 January 2016, 1 January 2020 and 1 January 2017 at type-approval, 8(f) was split into compliant pin connector systems before 1 January 2017 and a sub-entry outside the mating area, and 8(e) and 8(g) were kept with a review date; transposition within six months of publication.

    Source · Art. 1, Art. 2 and Annex
  13. Applies

    Current targets of 95 % reuse and recovery and 85 % reuse and recycling apply

    From this date economic operators must attain reuse and recovery of at least 95 % and reuse and recycling of at least 85 % by average weight per vehicle and year for all end-of-life vehicles.

    Source · Art. 7(2)(b)
  14. Amendment

    Commission Directive 2013/28/EU prolongs the electrical glazing solder exemption

    Exemption 8(i) for lead in solders in electrical glazing on glass, except laminated glazing, was extended from 1 January 2013 to vehicles type-approved before 1 January 2016 and their spare parts; transposition within three months of publication.

    Source · Art. 1, Art. 2 and Annex
  15. Amendment

    Commission Directive 2011/37/EU replaces Annex II

    Steel was split into 1(a) and 1(b), vibration dampers and continuously galvanised sheet were limited to vehicles type-approved before 1 January 2016, the glass and ceramic entry was split into 10(a) to 10(d), thermoelectric materials were added as entry 12 for vehicles type-approved before 1 January 2019, and hexavalent chromium in absorption refrigerators was capped at 0,75 %; transposition by 31 December 2011.

    Source · Art. 1, Art. 2 and Annex
  16. Amendment

    Commission Decision 2010/115/EU splits the solder exemptions

    The two solder entries became ten applications 8(a) to 8(j), five with expiry dates at type-approval between 1 January 2011 and 1 January 2016 and five without expiry to be reviewed in 2014; the exemption for lead in bonding agents for elastomers was not prolonged.

    Source · Art. 1 and Annex
  17. Amendment

    Directive 2008/112/EC aligns the hazardous substance definition with CLP

    From 1 December 2010 hazardous substance in Article 2(11) means a substance meeting the criteria of the listed hazard classes and categories of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008.

    Source · Art. 4
  18. Amendment

    Commission Decision 2008/689/EC replaces Annex II

    The annex was rewritten with 15 entries: expired exemptions survive only as spare parts for vehicles put on the market before their expiry date, bearing shells in engines and transmissions run to 1 July 2011, solders to vehicles type-approved before 31 December 2010, mercury lamps and displays to type-approval before 1 July 2012 and cadmium batteries for electrical vehicles to 31 December 2008.

    Source · Art. 1, Art. 2 and Annex
  19. Amendment

    Directive 2008/33/EC introduces the regulatory procedure with scrutiny

    Amendments of Annexes I and II, the certificate of destruction requirements, the coding standards and the target control rules became measures under the regulatory procedure with scrutiny and the expired 2001 deadlines were deleted; no transposition was needed.

    Source · Art. 1
  20. Applies

    Free take-back applies to all vehicles

    Delivery of an end-of-life vehicle to an authorised treatment facility must be free of charge for the last holder or owner also for vehicles put on the market before 1 July 2002.

    Source · Art. 5(4) and Art. 12(2)
  21. Applies

    First targets of 85 % reuse and recovery and 80 % reuse and recycling apply

    Economic operators must reach reuse and recovery of at least 85 % and reuse and recycling of at least 80 % by average weight per vehicle and year, with lower targets of 75 % and 70 % allowed for vehicles produced before 1 January 1980.

    Source · Art. 7(2)(a)
  22. Amendment

    Council Decision 2005/673/EC replaces Annex II

    Adopted on 20 September 2005 and applying from 1 July 2005, it set 18 entries with expiries on 1 July 2006, 1 July 2007 and 1 July 2008 for vulcanising agents, thick film pastes, copper in brake linings, corrosion coatings, valve seats, optical components, aluminium with up to 1,5 % lead and bearing shells, and allowed nickel-cadmium batteries for electrical vehicles after 31 December 2008 only as replacement parts.

    Source · Art. 1, Art. 2 and Annex
  23. Amendment

    Commission Decision 2005/438/EC re-adopts the spare-parts note

    The note exempting spare parts put on the market after 1 July 2003 for vehicles put on the market before that date, other than wheel balance weights, carbon brushes and brake linings, was adopted again in identical terms.

    Source · Art. 1
  24. Amendment

    Commission Decision 2005/63/EC exempts spare parts for pre-2003 vehicles

    Spare parts put on the market after 1 July 2003 for vehicles put on the market before 1 July 2003 were exempted from the heavy-metal ban, except wheel balance weights, carbon brushes for electric motors and brake linings.

    Source · Art. 1
  25. Applies

    Heavy-metal ban applies

    Materials and components of vehicles put on the market after this date must not contain lead, mercury, cadmium or hexavalent chromium other than in the cases listed in Annex II under the conditions specified there.

    Source · Art. 4(2)(a)
  26. Amendment

    Commission Decision 2002/525/EC: first revision of Annex II

    Adopted on 27 June 2002 and applying from 1 January 2003, the decision replaced Annex II, introduced the 0,1 % and 0,01 % maximum concentration values per homogeneous material, limited cadmium in batteries for electrical vehicles to 31 December 2005 and deleted the exemption for lead coatings inside petrol tanks.

    Source · Art. 1, Art. 2 and Art. 3
  27. Applies

    Transposition deadline

    Member States had to bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions needed to comply with the directive, or enforceable sector agreements for the articles that allow them; free take-back applied from 1 July 2002 for vehicles put on the market from that date.

    Source · Art. 10 and Art. 12(2)
  28. In force

    Directive 2000/53/EC enters into force

    Adopted on 18 September 2000 and published in OJ L 269 on 21 October 2000, the directive entered into force on the day of its publication; it set the heavy-metal ban for vehicles put on the market after 1 July 2003, free take-back, the certificate of destruction, the treatment standards of Annex I and the 2006 and 2015 targets.

    Source · Art. 4, Art. 5, Art. 7 and Art. 12(1)

Questions people ask about ELVD

Which vehicles does the ELV Directive cover?

Vehicles of category M1 (passenger cars) and N1 (light commercial vehicles) as defined in the type-approval framework, and three-wheel motor vehicles other than motor tricycles, together with their components and materials and the end-of-life vehicles they become. For three-wheel motor vehicles only the collection and treatment articles apply, special-purpose vehicles are excluded from the reuse and recovery targets, and Member States may exempt producers of small-series vehicles from the type-approval, coding, dismantling information and reporting duties. Buses, lorries, trailers and motorcycles are outside the directive; Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 brings them in from 1 September 2031.

Source · Art. 2(1) and Art. 3Source · Art. 2(1)
Which substances are banned in vehicles and what are the exemptions?

Materials and components of vehicles put on the market after 1 July 2003 must not contain lead, mercury, cadmium or hexavalent chromium, with a tolerance of 0,1 % by weight per homogeneous material for lead, mercury and hexavalent chromium and 0,01 % for cadmium. Annex II, last replaced by Delegated Directive (EU) 2023/544, lists 16 numbered entries in 42 lines, most of them for lead: alloying lead in steel, aluminium and copper, bearing shells, batteries, vibration dampers, elastomer agents, solders and finishes on circuit boards, glass and ceramic components, valve seats, pyrotechnic initiators and thermoelectric materials, plus hexavalent chromium in corrosion coatings and absorption refrigerators, mercury in discharge lamps and instrument displays, and cadmium in batteries for electrical vehicles. Many entries apply only to vehicles type-approved before a given date and their spare parts, and the battery entries ceased to apply on 13 August 2026.

Source · Art. 4(2)(a) and Annex IISource · Art. 57(1)(a)
Can the last owner hand in a car for free?

Yes. Member States must ensure that delivery of an end-of-life vehicle to an authorised treatment facility is without any cost for the last holder or owner because the vehicle has no or a negative market value, and that producers meet all or a significant part of the cost or take vehicles back; this has applied to vehicles put on the market from 1 July 2002 and to all vehicles since 1 January 2007. Delivery may be not fully free if the vehicle lacks its essential components, in particular the engine and the coachwork, or contains added waste. In Denmark a producer that takes a vehicle back may only charge the owner or holder if the engine, gearbox or catalytic converter is missing, and then at most the material value of the missing components at the time of delivery, capped at 300 kr. for a missing engine, 100 kr. for a missing gearbox and 100 kr. for a missing catalytic converter; a scrapping premium of 2 770 kr. is paid when the end-of-life vehicle was deregistered from the Danish Motor Register after 31 March 2000 and the delivery to a registered treatment operator is confirmed in the digital system run by Dansk Producentansvar.

Source · Art. 5(4) and Art. 12(2)Source · § 30, stk. 1 og 2, § 24, § 25, stk. 2, og § 26, stk. 1, som ændret ved https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2025/1492 · § 1, nr. 1 (i kraft 1. januar 2026)Source
What is the certificate of destruction?

The certificate that an authorised treatment facility issues to the holder or owner when the end-of-life vehicle is transferred to it; presenting it is the condition for deregistering the vehicle, and Member States must recognise certificates issued in other Member States. Member States may allow registered producers, dealers and collectors to issue it on behalf of a facility if they guarantee the transfer, and issuing it gives no right to reimbursement unless the Member State has arranged one. In Denmark the certificate (skrotningsattest) is issued through the digital system of Dansk Producentansvar and sent by Digital Post.

Source · Art. 5(3) and Art. 5(5)Source · § 10
What are the reuse, recovery and recycling targets?

Since 1 January 2015 economic operators must attain reuse and recovery of at least 95 % and reuse and recycling of at least 85 % by average weight per vehicle and year; from 1 January 2006 the targets were 85 % and 80 %, with 75 % and 70 % allowed for vehicles produced before 1 January 1980. Member States report the data electronically each year within 18 months of the reporting year. From 1 January 2030 the same 95 % and 85 % targets apply under Regulation (EU) 2026/1738, calculated excluding batteries, and from 1 January 2032 at least 30 % of the plastics in end-of-life vehicles must be recycled.

Source · Art. 7(2) and Art. 9(1a)Source · Art. 33
What information must vehicle manufacturers give to dismantlers?

Producers must provide dismantling information for each new vehicle type within six months after it is put on the market, identifying the components and materials and the location of all hazardous substances as far as treatment facilities need it to comply with the directive, in manuals or by electronic media; component manufacturers must give authorised treatment facilities information on the dismantling, storage and testing of reusable components on request. Producers and manufacturers must also use component and material coding standards and label the Annex II components that are to be stripped before further treatment.

Source · Art. 2(13), Art. 4(2)(b)(iv) and Art. 8
Do spare parts have to be free of heavy metals?

Spare parts put on the market after 1 July 2003 for vehicles put on the market before 1 July 2003 are exempt from the ban, except wheel balance weights, carbon brushes for electric motors and brake linings. Spare parts for vehicles put on the market after 1 July 2003 must comply unless an Annex II entry covers them; most entries with a type-approval cut-off expressly extend to spare parts for those vehicles, and the reuse of parts already on the market when an exemption expired is not caught by the ban.

Source · Art. 4(2)(a) and Annex IISource · recitals 6 to 8 and Annex, notes
Is the ELV Directive being replaced?

Yes. Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 on circularity requirements for vehicle design and management of end-of-life vehicles was adopted on 8 July 2026, published on 24 July 2026 and entered into force on 13 August 2026. It applies from 1 September 2028 and repeals the directive from that date, but keeps the substance ban and Annex II in force until 31 August 2032, the treatment, dismantling information and reporting provisions until 31 August 2029 and the current targets until 31 December 2030. Extended producer responsibility, the new treatment duties and national penalties follow from 1 September 2029, the targets from 1 January 2030, and the heavy-metal ban with its own Annex IV applies to vehicle types approved from 1 September 2032, when Directive 2005/64/EC is also repealed.

Source · Art. 5(4), Art. 16(1), Art. 33, Art. 49, Art. 57 and Art. 59Source

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Sources

  1. Directive 2000/53/EC on end-of-life vehicles, consolidated text of 30 March 2023 (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02000L0053-20230330
  2. Directive 2000/53/EC as published in OJ L 269, 21 October 2000 (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32000L0053
  3. Document information, dates and relationships for CELEX 32000L0053 (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32000L0053
  4. Commission Decision 2002/525/EC amending Annex II (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32002D0525
  5. Commission Decision 2005/63/EC amending Annex II (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32005D0063
  6. Commission Decision 2005/438/EC amending Annex II (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32005D0438
  7. Council Decision 2005/673/EC amending Annex II (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32005D0673
  8. Directive 2008/33/EC on the implementing powers conferred on the Commission (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32008L0033
  9. Commission Decision 2008/689/EC amending Annex II (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32008D0689
  10. Directive 2008/112/EC adapting the definition of hazardous substance to the CLP Regulation (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32008L0112
  11. Commission Decision 2010/115/EU amending Annex II (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32010D0115
  12. Commission Directive 2011/37/EU amending Annex II (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32011L0037
  13. Commission Directive 2013/28/EU amending Annex II (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32013L0028
  14. Commission Directive (EU) 2016/774 amending Annex II (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32016L0774
  15. Commission Directive (EU) 2017/2096 amending Annex II (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32017L2096
  16. Directive (EU) 2018/849 amending Directives 2000/53/EC, 2006/66/EC and 2012/19/EU (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32018L0849
  17. Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2020/362 on hexavalent chromium in absorption refrigerators (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32020L0362
  18. Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2020/363 on lead in solders and connectors (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32020L0363
  19. Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2023/544 on lead in aluminium alloys, copper alloys and batteries (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32023L0544
  20. Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 on circularity requirements for vehicle design and on management of end-of-life vehicles (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32026R1738
  21. Procedure 2023/0284(COD) for Regulation (EU) 2026/1738 (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/procedure/EN/2023_284
  22. Directive 2005/64/EC on the type-approval of motor vehicles with regard to reusability, recyclability and recoverability (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32005L0064
  23. Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 on market surveillance and compliance of products (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32019R1020
  24. End-of-life vehicles (European Commission, DG Environment) https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/waste-and-recycling/end-life-vehicles_en
  25. End-of-life vehicles Regulation (European Commission, DG Environment) https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/waste-and-recycling/end-life-vehicles/end-life-vehicles-regulation_en
  26. Biler og producentansvar (Miljøstyrelsen) https://mst.dk/erhverv/groen-produktion-og-affald/producentansvar/biler-og-producentansvar
  27. Bilaffald (Miljøstyrelsen) https://mst.dk/erhverv/groen-produktion-og-affald/affald-og-genanvendelse/affaldshaandtering/affaldsfraktioner/bilaffald
  28. Bilskrotbekendtgørelsen, BEK nr. 1654 af 29. december 2022 as amended by BEK nr. 1492 af 1. december 2025 (Retsinformation) https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2022/1654
  29. Bekendtgørelse om ændring af bilskrotbekendtgørelsen, BEK nr. 1492 af 1. december 2025 (Retsinformation) https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2025/1492

About this guide

Reviewed by
Conphora compliance team, Compliance editors, Conphora
Reviewed
5 October 2026
Next review
12 March 2027

Written from the official text on EUR-Lex and the Commission’s guidance, with a source for every fact. It is not legal advice.

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Cite this page 
Conphora (2026). ELVD: ELV Directive (Directive 2000/53/EC), explained. Retrieved 13 October 2026 from https://www.conphora.com/regulations/elvd/
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