Revision of EU roadworthiness tests: status as of November 2026 and possible impact on workshops and dealers

EU roadworthiness test revision as of November 2026: what the Commission, Council and Parliament propose and what it means for workshops and dealers.

Key findings

As of early November 2026, the revision is still being negotiated. Neither the Commission's proposal nor the positions of the Council and Parliament are adopted legislation. The final trilogue is expected on 2 December 2026; this is not the date from which new obligations would apply.
The European Commission proposes annual roadworthiness tests for passenger cars and vans over ten years old. For now, this belongs in workshop capacity planning only as a scenario.
The Commission wants to extend testing to electric cars, electronic safety systems including software integrity, and advanced emissions measurement. The Council supports measuring particle number and NOx, but with phased introduction.
Odometer recording is the most heavily negotiated issue. The Council wants it to be mandatory for authorised repairers, the Parliament for every repair lasting more than one hour. After the October trilogue, this question remained open.
Workshops and dealers already benefit from managing pre-test preparation as a separate job, separating diagnostics from repair and recording the mileage with a date and a link to the job. These steps make sense whatever the final wording turns out to be.

The periodic roadworthiness test affects the preparation of used cars for sale, repair planning and the work of service reception. The revision of EU roadworthiness tests is intended to adapt the testing framework to electronics, electric drive and new emissions measurement methods. For workshops, it may bring different diagnostic requirements and more work with vehicle data. For dealers, it may change how stock cars are prepared and documented. However, operational preparation needs to be kept separate from obligations whose final form is still being negotiated.

Revision of EU roadworthiness tests: what has been agreed as of November 2026

The European Commission presented its proposal on 24 April 2025. The Council then adopted its general approach. In procedure 2025/0097(COD), the European Parliament confirmed its negotiating mandate on 21 May 2026. These are positions for negotiations between the institutions, not the final wording of the legislation.

In the trilogue, representatives of the Parliament, the Council and the Commission are seeking a common text. According to a report by Agence Europe, odometer recording remained open after the meeting on 20 October 2026. The Irish Presidency expects the final trilogue on 2 December 2026.

The negotiating positions do not yet create any new obligations for workshops or dealerships. When booking customers, pricing the preparation of a car and assessing the validity of a roadworthiness test, the rules of the country concerned continue to apply.

However, it already makes sense to standardise how jobs are managed. In Omnetic, the Workshop module manages the service job from the quote through vehicle reception, parts and planning to invoicing. Line items can be split between the customer, warranty and the insurer. Pre-test preparation and subsequent repairs therefore run in a single workflow, and data is not re-keyed anywhere.

What new rules for vehicle roadworthiness testing are being discussed

Each part of the revision affects a different area of operations. Test frequency changes the number of visits. The scope of testing changes diagnostic requirements. Odometer recording adds work at reception.

Area	Who is proposing the change and its status	Possible impact on workshops and dealerships
Annual tests for older cars	The Commission proposes an annual interval for passenger cars and vans over ten years old. This is a proposal, not a common obligation in force.	More pre-test preparation jobs where a longer interval applies today, if the proposal makes it into the final legislation.
Electric cars	The Commission proposes extending the testing framework to electric cars. The final scope is under discussion.	Greater emphasis on safe work with electric drive, diagnostics and training.
Electronic safety systems	The Commission proposes testing electronic systems, including the integrity of safety- and emissions-related software.	Besides mechanical defects, preparing a car will also involve electronic faults and their causes.
Particle number and NOx	The Commission proposes advanced emissions methods for ultrafine particles and NOx. The Council supports measuring particle number and NOx with phased introduction under implementing acts that will specify the methods and scope.	Equipment for official measurement needs to be distinguished from diagnostics that look for the cause of a fault.
Odometer recording according to the Council	The Council's general approach provides for mandatory recording during repair and maintenance of passenger cars and vans in categories M1 and N1 at authorised repairers. Member States may involve other providers.	An additional step at service reception and in data transmission. Independent workshops are covered depending on the national decision.
Odometer recording according to the Parliament	The Parliament's mandate proposes recording the mileage of passenger cars and vans for repairs lasting more than one hour. This is a negotiating position.	The obligation would depend on the duration of the repair, not on the type of repairer. The final rule remains subject to negotiation.

An annual test does not mean an equal increase in repairs

The Commission's proposal for annual tests for older cars is the most visible change for capacity planning. In workshops, it concerns everyday cars. The Volkswagen Golf VII 1.6 TDI (77 kW) from 2013–2014, the third-generation Škoda Octavia from the first years of production (from November 2012) and the Renault Clio IV with the dCi 90 engine from the first years of production (launched in 2012) are all over ten years old in 2026. Under the Commission's proposal, they would have to be tested every year.

However, the workshop must distinguish between three items: pre-test preparation, the roadworthiness test itself and the repair of defects found. More frequent tests may increase the number of visits. The scope of paid repairs, however, depends on the condition of the cars. Expected revenue growth therefore does not yet belong in the budget as a certain consequence of the revision. It pays to track jobs for preparation, diagnostics and subsequent repairs separately. This will show how much work the tests actually bring into the workshop.

Emissions measurement will require different diagnostic preparation

The Commission is targeting the new methods at high-emitting cars, including modified cars. The Council supports measuring particle number and NOx, but provides for phased introduction and for the methods and scope to be specified. For older diesels, such as the Golf 1.6 TDI or the Clio dCi 90, the age of the car therefore meets a stricter view of emissions.

For the workshop, the key difference is between a failed result and identifying the cause. A measurement result does not say which part should be replaced. The service job should therefore include the diagnostic procedure, the cause identified, the approved repair and the final check. Replacing an expensive component without identifying the cause increases the risk of a repeat visit and a dispute with the customer.

When could the new rules start to apply?

A common start date for the new obligations cannot yet be given. The December trilogue is a date for political negotiations. The legal framework and the deadlines for implementation in the Member States will be set only by the final legislation.

For investment, it pays to divide preparation according to what has value even if the revision is not adopted:

What to prepare now	What to wait for the final requirements on
Uniform vehicle reception and a verifiable record of the car's condition	Buying equipment solely because of an expected new obligation
Odometer records with a date and a link to the job	Technical connection to future mandatory odometer reporting
Training based on the cars the workshop actually takes in	Changing capacity based solely on the expectation of annual tests
Separating diagnostics, repair and final check within the job	Promising customers that a new European rule will replace the national procedure

For cross-border used car buying, current rules still apply for now. The validity of a foreign roadworthiness test and the requirements of the target market therefore remain part of deal preparation, as they have been until now.

What workshops should change in reception, diagnostics and planning

It is a good idea to offer pre-test preparation as a separately defined service. This is how dealer workshops handle it too. In Czechia, for example, Emil Frey offers it with a scope that covers lighting, suspension, steering, tyres, fluid leaks and the exhaust system. The customer receives the scope of the check and a quote for repairs, not a vague promise that the car will "pass". The job must make clear what the workshop found, what the customer approved and which work was not carried out.

Most workshops handle the mechanical part routinely. The electronic part requires diagnostics and a technician who can interpret faults correctly. Clearing fault codes is not a repair.

What the procedure looks like for everyday cars

The following model situations illustrate types of job, not typical defects of the models mentioned.

Model situation	Workshop procedure	What the service manager needs
Volkswagen Golf VII taken in for pre-test preparation	Separate the initial check from the repair quote and record the customer's approval.	To see the scope of preparation, the follow-on work and the parts needed.
Škoda Octavia III taken in with a safety system warning light on	Identify the cause of the fault, carry out the approved repair and record the final check.	To assign the job to a technician with the appropriate diagnostic competence.
Renault Clio IV taken in as a trade-in with a discrepancy between the mileage and the documentation	Keep the condition found and the related documents, and resolve the discrepancy before completing the purchase.	To separate the problem of the car's history from the cost of its technical preparation.

Buy equipment for the work you want to do

A workshop that prepares cars for testing has different needs from a roadworthiness testing centre. Requirements for official measurement therefore do not apply to all workshops.

The preparation budget covers diagnostic equipment and its updates, training, health and safety and technicians' time. For electric cars, the plan also includes competence for working with high-voltage systems. Distributors and manufacturers offer training on an ongoing basis. In Prague, for example, training on hybrids and electric cars and on ADAS systems takes place at the beginning of November 2026. Specialised measuring equipment is worth buying for a clearly defined service with known technical requirements. The name of a change under discussion is not enough.

What odometer recording means for dealers

The difference between the positions of the Council and the Parliament has practical consequences. The Council mainly defines the range of repairers, the Parliament the duration of the repair. Until there is agreement, neither option can be introduced as a final European obligation.

However, a dealer already needs continuity between the condition at purchase, the preparation of the car and handover to the customer. Every odometer record should have a date and a link to a document or job. In the event of a discrepancy, it is not enough to overwrite the original figure. It must remain traceable what was recorded and how the discrepancy was explained. Before purchase, Autotracer uses the VIN to check the mileage history, including discrepancies in the available records. It attaches the result to the vehicle record, so it is to hand during preparation and sale. The scope of the check depends on which records exist for the vehicle.

Mileage discrepancies also have an impact on costs. A car with an unresolved history may stand in stock even though it is technically ready for sale, and every day in stock erodes the margin on the car. Someone must therefore be responsible for resolving the documentation just as clearly as someone is responsible for the repair.

Pitfalls to watch out for

Do not present a proposal as an obligation. Until a final rule exists, the annual test is only a Commission proposal in communication with customers.
Do not confuse workshop records with official data reporting. Your own odometer record and any future reporting obligation are two different processes.
Do not buy equipment without a defined service. Each device should have a clear purpose, operating requirements, updates and a place in the diagnostic procedure.
Do not confuse an internal inspection of a used car with an official test. The purchase inspection report is used to decide on buying and preparing the car, not as a substitute for the roadworthiness test report.

Omnetic links purchase, preparation and repair in one record

When preparing a used car, the purchase inspection report, the list of repairs and the service job are often each kept in a different system or spreadsheet. Omnetic connects these steps through one shared record of the vehicle, customer, jobs and money in DMS Core. Data is not re-keyed between modules. Whatever the outcome of the revision, the dealer and the workshop have the car's condition, mileage and work carried out in one place.

CarAudit guides the inspector through a configured checklist right at the car, online and offline. It marks damage on a body map with photos. It saves the report to the vehicle record in DMS Core and turns the findings into preparation tasks.
Workshop manages the service job from the quote through vehicle reception, parts and planning to invoicing. A finding from pre-test preparation therefore continues as a managed repair with the customer's approval.
Autotracer uses the VIN to check the mileage history, including discrepancies, and attaches the result to the vehicle record. The car's history can therefore be resolved before it is prepared for sale.

Omnetic can be introduced step by step, for example starting with the CarAudit module and adding other modules later. Arrange an Omnetic demo focused on how purchase, vehicle preparation and the service job fit together.

FAQ

Will independent workshops also have to record the mileage?

It depends on the final wording. Under the Council's general approach, the obligation would apply to authorised repairers, and Member States would decide whether to involve other providers. The Parliament's position links recording to repairs lasting more than one hour. An independent workshop that introduces odometer records now will be prepared for both options.

Does testing electronic systems mean ADAS calibration on every car?

No. ADAS are advanced driver assistance systems, and their diagnosis, repair and calibration are different operations. The scope of work is determined by the fault found and the manufacturer's procedure.

How can the readiness of branches in different countries be compared?

Local legislative requirements need to be separated from common operational KPIs. Across branches, it is possible to track the completeness of documentation at reception, jobs waiting for repair approval and cars blocked by an unresolved finding. The number of pre-test visits is not suitable as a common measure, because national regimes differ.

Does a dealer have to replace their accounting system when introducing Omnetic?

No. Existing systems, such as accounting software or a manufacturer portal, can be connected via Omnetic's open platform (API, webhooks, manufacturer integrations).