EU plan to freeze safety rules for small electric cars risks two-tier system, warns ETSC

A new EU proposal to freeze safety requirements for small electric cars for up to ten years could put lives at risk and create a two-tier vehicle safety system, ETSC said in a briefing published earlier this month.

The European Commission’s Automotive Omnibus package includes plans to create a new vehicle sub-category for small electric cars (M1E). While these vehicles would remain subject to existing EU safety rules, the Commission intends to delay the application of future safety upgrades until as late as 2036.

ETSC warns that this approach would lock in outdated standards at a time when the EU is already off track to meet its target of halving road deaths by 2030. More than 19,000 people were killed on EU roads in 2025.

Freezing safety rules for vehicles primarily used in urban areas is particularly concerning, ETSC says. Around 70% of road deaths in cities involve vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. Newer technologies – including the latest generation of automated emergency braking systems and features that prevent ‘dooring’ collisions – are designed specifically to reduce these risks.

ETSC also criticises the lack of an impact assessment and the influence of car industry lobbying in shaping the proposal. The organisation says affordability must not come at the cost of safety and urges EU lawmakers to ensure that all current and future safety requirements apply fully to the new vehicle category.

The briefing highlights broader concerns with the Automotive Omnibus package, including proposed exemptions for electric vans from speed limiters and tachograph rules, and a possible delay to improved direct vision standards for lorries. ETSC says these measures would weaken established safety protections and should be rejected.

Instead of lowering standards, ETSC calls for incentive schemes to promote the uptake of smaller, safer vehicles that comply with the latest safety requirements.