Implementation date (new approvals): 1 September 2014

Implementation date (most new registrations - see important point below table above): 1 September 2015

The sixth and current incarnation of the Euro emissions standard was introduced on most new registrations in September 2015. For diesels, the permitted level of NOx has been slashed from 0.18g/km in Euro 5 to 0.08g/km.

A focus on diesel NOx was the direct result of studies connecting these emissions with respiratory problems.

To meet the new targets, some carmakers have introduced Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), in which a liquid-reductant agent is injected through a catalyst into the exhaust of a diesel vehicle. A chemical reaction converts the nitrogen oxide into harmless water and nitrogen, which are expelled through the exhaust pipe.

The alternative method of meeting Euro 6 standards is Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR). A portion of the exhaust gas is mixed with intake air to lower the burning temperature. The vehicle’s ECU controls the EGR in accordance with the engine load or speed.

CO: 1.0g/km THC: 0.10g/km NMHC: 0.068g/km NOx: 0.06g/km PM: 0.005g/km (direct injection only) PN [#/km]: 6.0x10 ^11/km (direct injection only)

CO: 0.50g/km HC + NOx: 0.17g/km NOx: 0.08g/km PM: 0.005g/km PN [#/km]: 6.0x10 ^11/km

The standards were updated to include newer versions of vehicles impacted by the levels of emissions.

On 1 January 2020, the European Commission announced that Regulation (EU) 2019/631 entered into force, setting CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and vans. It replaced and repealed the former Regulations for cars and vans individually. As the new target started applying in 2020, the average CO2 emissions from new passenger cars registered in Europe have decreased by 12%.

There was then a further development a year in July 2021, where new proposals were introduced to help the EU reach its climate neutrality goals by 2050 – and a net reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Further announcements are expected in November 2022.