European standards

New cars: new driver assistance equipment required

Publié le 08 juillet 2026 - Public Service / (Prime Minister)

As of July 7, 2026, all new vehicles must incorporate certain driver assistance equipment. This is a further step in the roll-out of the EU's GSR 2 regulation, which aims to reduce the number of serious road accidents. Optional equipment or equipment reserved for certain models now includes the entire new car fleet. Public Service tell you more.

Illustration
Image 1Crédits: Drazen - stock.adobe.com

The GSR 2 (General Safety Regulation 2) is a European regulation requiring manufacturers to equip all new vehicles with safety systems, both active (driving aid) and passive. It has been applied gradually since 2022 and is now in its third phasee phase as of 7 july 2026.

Since that date, vehicles leaving the production lines must integrate these devices:

  1. An active attention monitoring system (ADDW, Advanced Driver Distraction Warning): a camera located behind the steering wheel makes it possible to control the inattention of the driver. Between 20 and 50 km/h, the system emits an audible alert in case of inattention of more than 6 seconds. Above 50 km/h, the frequency of alerts is tightening. The system is activated automatically at each start-up but the user retains the freedom to deactivate it manually during his journey. Note that the technology used respects the GDPR and does not store any personal or biometric data.
  2. Automatic emergency braking (AEB, Autonomous Emergency Braking): already mandatory since 2024 for car detection, this system must now detect cyclists and pedestrians. In the event of an immediate danger of collision, the vehicle alerts the driver and then brakes automatically so as to reduce the severity of the impact.

In addition, vehicle construction is evolving for greater safety: passenger cars and light commercial vehicles must now offer better protection of pedestrians, including head impacts. Finally, light commercial vehicles benefit from a better forward field of vision for the driver.

Please note

  • These measures concern vehicles registered and delivered since 7 july 2026. Current car owners are not subject to any upgrade or technical modification obligations. The implementation of the GSR 2 regulation may lead to the discontinuation of the marketing of certain older models that cannot receive these technologies.
  • Vehicles produced in small series (less than 1 500 vehicles per year) and special purpose vehicles will have to be equipped with the devices already mandatory since phase 2 (2024) on large series models: automatic emergency braking against cars, keeping in the emergency lane, detection of road signs, cybersecurity, etc.

Additional topics

Agenda

See all due dates

Une remarque ?