S.I. No. 657/2025 - European Union (Motor Vehicles –Type Approval) Regulations 2025

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 2nd January, 2026.

I, DARRAGH O’BRIEN, Minister for Transport, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 3 of the European Communities Act 1972 (No. 27 of 1972) for the purpose of giving full effect to Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018¹ (as amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/1257 of 24 April 2024² of the European Parliament and of the Council and Regulation (EU) 2024/1610 of 14 May 2024³ of the European Parliament and of the Council), Regulation (EU) No. 167/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 February 2013⁴ and Regulation (EU) No. 168/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 January 2013⁵ , hereby make the following regulations:

Citation

1.

Interpretation

2.

“European Type-Approval Regulations” means the following EU type-approval Regulations insofar as they contain requirements applicable to the following vehicle categories:

• (a) for vehicles of categories M, N, and O, Regulation (EU) 2018/858;

• (b) for vehicles of categories T, R, and S, Regulation (EU) No 167/2013;

• (c) for vehicles of category L, Regulation (EU) No. 168/2013;

“Regulation (EU) 167/2013” means Regulation (EU) No. 167/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 February 2013⁴ , supplemented by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/985 of 12 February 2018⁵ ;

“Regulation (EU) 168/2013” means Regulation (EU) No. 168/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 January 2013⁶ , as amended by Regulation (EU) 2020/1694 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 November 2020⁷ ;

“Regulation (EU) 2018/858” means Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018¹ , as amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/1257 of 24 April 2024² of the European Parliament and of the Council and Regulation (EU) 2024/1610 of 14 May 2024³ of the European Parliament and of the Council;

“type-approval” includes type approval in the State or another Member State;

“type-approved vehicle” means any motor vehicle with type-approval (including in respect of vehicles produced in small series) as classified in the following, namely–

• (a) for M, N, O category vehicles, Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 2018/858,

• (b) for T, R, S category vehicles, Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 167/2013, or

• (c) for L category vehicles, Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 168/2013.

• (2) A word or expression that is used in these Regulations and is also used in Regulation (EU) 2018/858, Regulation (EU) 167/2013 or Regulation (EU) 168/2013, has, unless the context otherwise requires, the same meaning in these Regulations as it has in the Regulation, or Regulations, concerned.

Type-approval of vehicles

3.

• (a) the Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) Regulations 1963 ( S.I. No. 190 of 1963 ),

• (b) the Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) Regulations 1963 ( S.I. No. 189 of 1963 ),

• (c) the Road Traffic (Control of Supply of Vehicles) Regulations 1991 ( S.I. No. 35 of 1991 ),

• (d) the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) (Amendment) Regulations 1992 ( S.I. No. 385 of 1992 ), and

• (e) the Road Traffic (Construction and Use of Vehicles) Regulations 2003 ( S.I. No. 5 of 2003 ),

insofar as they relate to the use or supply of a type-approved vehicle, with respect to the design, construction, fitting, mounting or performance standards of a component of such a vehicle, or of such vehicle as a whole, shall not apply where -

• (i) the type-approved vehicle, systems, components or separate technical units have a valid type-approval certificate and the system, component or separate technical unit bears the required type-approval mark in accordance with the European Type-Approval Regulations relating to such vehicle, systems, components or separate technical units or vehicle, or

• (ii) the type-approved vehicle, systems, components or separate technical units fulfils the performance standards of the European Type-Approval Regulations relating to such vehicle component or vehicle, and, in the case of a vehicle component, the vehicle component is mounted and fitted in accordance with the requirements of the European Type-Approval Regulations relating to such component.

• (2) Where a vehicle, system, component or separate technical unit no longer complies with the original type-approval, the provisions of—

• (a) the Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) Regulations 1963 ( S.I. No. 190 of 1963 ),

• (b) the Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) Regulations 1963 ( S.I. No. 189 of 1963 ), or

• (c) the Road Traffic (Construction and Use of Vehicles) Regulations 2003 ( S.I. No. 5 of 2003 ),

as applicable, shall apply in relation to the design, construction, fitting, mounting or performance standards of such vehicle, system, component, or separate technical unit.

Revocation

4.

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

19 December, 2025.

DARRAGH O’BRIEN,

Minister for Transport.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.)

These Regulations provide that a European Type-Approval Regulations compliant vehicle is deemed to meet the vehicle standard requirements in the State.

Footnotes