Consultation on Euro 6/VI vehicle emissions standards

Emissions harmful to human health include nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and carbon monoxide, and are different to greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide), which harm the climate.

The World Health Organization (WHO) sets guidelines for air quality, including stating limits for harmful emissions, such as nitrogen oxide, which should not be exceeded. In 2006, 24 percent of the population in Aotearoa were living in areas where nitrogen oxide concentration in the air exceeded the WHO guidelines. In 2016, this increased to 31 percent of the population. For Pacific peoples the rates were even higher, increasing from 43 percent to 54 percent. By contrast, in Europe the levels of transport-related pollution are reducing.

Exposure to these harmful emissions have been found to contribute to premature deaths. In 2016, Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin experienced the highest number of premature deaths due to human made particulate matter known as PM_2.5  and nitrogen oxides (NOx) air pollution.

About two thirds of our air-pollution related social costs are due to transport. Every year, harmful transport emissions are responsible for $10.5 billion in social costs, including:

• 13,000 cases of asthma in our tamariki
• 900 hospitalisations of tamariki presenting with asthma/wheeze
• 9000 cardiovascular and respiratory hospitalisations
• 2,200 premature deaths, which accounts for about one in fourteen deaths annually.

Enacting a Euro 6/VI emissions standard will lower the permitted level of nitrogen oxides by about 56 percent for light diesel vehicles and 80 percent for heavy vehicles compared to Euro 5/V, the current regulated requirement on new vehicles. Euro 6/VI will also lower the permitted levels of particulate matter and introduce more accurate testing practices, leading to better real-world emission reductions.

The Euro 6/VI evaluation study demonstrated that Europe’s shift to
Euro 6d/VI over the last decade caused dramatic improvements in air quality, with reductions of:

• nitrogen oxides (65 percent for petrol cars, 91 percent for light diesel vehicles, and 72 percent for heavy vehicles)
• exhaust particles (86 percent for petrol cars, 91 percent for light diesel vehicles, and 28 percent for heavy trucks)
• carbon monoxide (83 percent for petrol cars, 41 percent for light diesel vehicles, 85 percent for heavy trucks)
• other pollutants.

These reductions in Europe relied on a number of improvements to the Euro 6 and VI standards being incorporated as well, which Aotearoa will also seek to include.

Requiring vehicle imports to meet a stronger emissions standard is a key tool to reducing the health impacts from domestic motor vehicle pollution. If adopted, the proposed Amendment Rule change is expected to save over $6 billion in social costs out to 2050, against costs of less than
$0.2 billion.

Voluntary uptake of Euro 6/VI is low, especially for diesel vehicles, and is not expected to change materially without a legislative requirement.

Therefore, the Government is proposing to phase in new requirements for the new emissions standard over the next five years for the following groups of vehicles (when they are imported into the country): light vehicles, heavy vehicles, motorcycles/mopeds, and used disability vehicles.

The tables below set out the current proposed timeframes for these standards to come into effect for light and heavy vehicles, and motorcycles and mopeds.

Used vehicle imports are provided more time than brand new vehicles to comply with the stronger standards, to minimise the risk of vehicle supply constraints. Similarly, standards for brand-new vehicles are first applied to newly introduced models before applying to vehicles manufacturers are already supplying.

Aotearoa currently allows vehicle importers to show evidence of harmful emission levels through several regional (European, Japanese, American, and Australian) or global standards (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)). This approach shall continue where broad equivalence is possible.

The proposed Amendment Rule change also removes outdated and redundant information.

Proposed lead in time for the changes is indicated in the tables below. The time period provided is for the amount of time that will be given between the Minister of Transport publishing the Amendment Rule in the New Zealand Gazette and that requirement coming into force. Indicative timeframes for when each requirement enters into force are provided in brackets. Indicative timeframes assume that the Amendment Rule is published in the Gazette in July 2023. The actual date that the Amendment Rule is gazetted may differ, meaning the entry into force may fall on a later date to allow for the appropriate lead in time. 

Note that the last row of requirements in each table is proposed to be a fixed date, the lead in time for these requirements may change depending on when the Amendment Rule is published in the Gazette. 

Certified for entry into service	Used Light Petrol, CNG/LPG	Used Light Diesel	New Light Petrol, CNG/LPG	New Light Diesel
Current requirement	Euro 4 US 2004 Japan 05 ADR 79/02	Euro 4 US 2004 Japan 05 ADR 30/01+ 79/01	Euro 5 US 2007 Japan 05 ADR 79/04	Euro 5 US 2007 Japan 05 ADR 79/04
6 months after publication in the Gazette (1 Feb 2024)	Euro 5 US Tier 2 Japan 05 Low Harm ADR 79/04	Euro 5 US Tier 2 Japan 09 ADR 79/04
18 months after publication in the Gazette (1 Feb 2025)			Newly introduced models only: Euro 6d US Tier 3 Japan 2018 Low Harm	Newly introduced models only: Euro 6d US Tier 3 Japan 2018 (any code)
30 months after publication in the Gazette (1 Feb 2026)	Euro 6d US Tier 3 Japan 05 Low Harm (if manufactured up to 31 Dec 2024), or Japan 2018 Low Harm (any date of manufacture)	Euro 6d US Tier 3 Japan 2018 (any code)	Existing models: Euro 6d US Tier 3 Japan 2018 Low Harm	Existing models: Euro 6d US Tier 3 Japan 2018 (any code)
1 Jan 2028, at the latest (4.5 years after publication in the Gazette under current proposal)	Euro 6d US Tier 3 Japan 2018 Low Harm (All vehicles)

• For both new and used disability vehicles, we propose to introduce Euro 5 requirements 6 months after the Amendment Rule is published in the Gazette. We propose new disability vehicles will transition to Euro 6 on the same timeline as new light vehicles. Used disability vehicles will move to Euro 6d requirements from 1 January 2028 at the latest.
• “Used imports” means used vehicles that are imported into Aotearoa for sale having been first registered overseas.
• “Newly introduced models” means brand new vehicles whose models are not currently manufactured and sold in Aotearoa.
• “Existing models” means brand new vehicles whose models are currently sold by the vehicle manufacturer in Aotearoa.
• “Low Harm” means, for Japan 2018: a vehicle must show a 75 percent or 50 percent harmful emission reduction code, and for Japan 05 Low Harm: a vehicle must show a 75 percent reduction, but also must be manufactured from 2012.

Certified for entry into service	Used Heavy	New Heavy
Current Requirement	Euro IV US 2004 Japan 05 ADR 30/01 + ADR 80/02	Euro V Japan 05 US 2007 ADR 80/03
6 months after publication in the Gazette (1 Feb 2024)	Euro V US Tier 2 Japan 09 ADR 80/03
15 months after publication in the Gazette (1 Nov 2024)		Newly introduced models: Euro VI stage C US Tier 3 Japan 2016 ADR 80/04
27 months after publication in the Gazette (1 Nov 2025)	Euro VI stage C US Tier 3 Japan 2016 ADR 80/04	Existing models: Euro VI stage C US Tier 3 Japan 2016 ADR 80/04
1 Nov 2026, at the latest (39 months after publication in the Gazette under current proposal)	Euro VI stage E Japan 2016 US Tier 3

Certified for entry into service	Used Motorcycle/Moped	New Motorcycle/Moped
Current requirement	None
18 months after publication in the Gazette (1 Feb 2025)	Euro 4 US 2010 Japan 2012
1 Jan 2027, at the latest (41 months after publication in the Gazette under the current proposal)	Euro 5 US 2010 Japan 2016

All reasonable endeavours are made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this document. However, the information is provided without warranties of any kind including accuracy, completeness, timeliness or fitness for any particular purpose.

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