On November 3, 2026, the European Commission opened feedback on draft implementing regulation Ares(2026)10298442, initiative 18393, "Motor vehicle safety requirements: amendments in view of their application to fully automated vehicles". The draft adapts two implementing acts based on the General Safety Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 so EU whole-vehicle type-approval can cover fully automated vehicles in two cases only: dual mode (manual and automated), and vehicles that cannot be driven manually at or above 6 km/h. Manufacturers, type-approval holders and importers of those vehicles must submit feedback on the Commission draft implementing regulation by December 1, 2026 and map the proposed adaptations of the two General Safety Regulation implementing acts into type-approval dossiers for dual-mode and fully automated vehicles, or feedback received after December 1, 2026 (midnight Brussels time) is not taken into account when the Commission finalises the initiative, so the adopted type-approval rules can lock safety requirements those actors did not comment on.
The text is an implementing regulation. It does not amend Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 or Regulation (EU) 2018/858. The initiative page lists the file as a draft act, in preparation, with feedback open from November 3, 2026 to December 1, 2026 (midnight Brussels time) and Commission adoption planned for the fourth quarter of 2026. The draft PDF is five pages and the annex is seven pages, both in English, on the Have Your Say initiative 18393. Published feedback must follow the Commission's feedback rules.
What does the draft change in the General Safety Regulation implementing acts?
The EU General Safety Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 sets type-approval safety requirements for vehicles and makes intelligent speed assistance, advanced emergency braking, drowsiness warning and event data recorders mandatory, and embeds UN Regulations R155 and R156.
The Commission summary states that the draft adapts two implementing acts based on that regulation where vehicles in their scope will be fully automated: dual mode (manual and automated), and vehicles that cannot be driven manually at or above 6 km/h. The page does not give those two acts a CELEX number. The draft adapts those acts for a driverless operating state, under comitology committee C35300. It is not a new parent regulation. An implementing act executes uniform conditions. It does not amend Regulation (EU) 2019/2144.
| Step | Date on the initiative |
|---|---|
| Feedback opens | November 3, 2026 |
| Feedback closes | December 1, 2026, midnight Brussels time |
| Commission adoption (planned) | Fourth quarter 2026 |
Who must comment, and on which vehicles?
Comments matter for manufacturers, type-approval holders and importers of vehicles in the two cases the initiative names: dual-mode vehicles that can be driven manually and in automated mode, and vehicles that cannot be driven manually at or above 6 km/h.
The initiative page does not name a vehicle category. A conventional vehicle that always has a driver, and that never offers an automated mode, sits outside those two cases.
Obsidian tracks texts under the General Safety Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 in 6 jurisdictions, as of November 2026. That figure counts records held, not every national measure in force. Regulation (EU) 2018/858 stays the master regime for the certificate of conformity, conformity of production and market surveillance around any approval this draft later changes.
What should type-approval teams do before December 1, 2026?
A comment received after December 1, 2026, midnight Brussels time, is not taken into account when the Commission finalises the initiative.
- Download draft Ares(2026)10298442 and the annex and mark every provision that changes a requirement for dual-mode operation or for a vehicle that cannot be driven manually at or above 6 km/h.
- Map those provisions onto open type-approval dossiers for dual-mode vehicles and for vehicles that cannot be driven manually at or above 6 km/h.
- Submit feedback on Have Your Say before December 1, 2026, midnight Brussels time. Login or registration is required.
- Treat fourth-quarter 2026 adoption as a plan only. Do not freeze a dossier on the draft.
Per-jurisdiction monitoring is what surfaces a draft implementing act on the day its feedback window opens.
What happens if the comment window is missed?
The Commission states that late feedback is not taken into account. No fine, sales ban or refused approval is attached to a missed comment. The adopted implementing regulation can lock safety requirements the manufacturer or importer did not comment on.
After adoption, the binding text is the implementing regulation in the Official Journal, applied through Regulation (EU) 2018/858. The initiative sets the feedback close. Commission adoption in the fourth quarter of 2026 is a plan only.
Before December 1, 2026, confirm whether any vehicle in the pipeline is dual-mode or cannot be driven manually at or above 6 km/h, name an owner for the Have Your Say submission, and brief the type-approval lead. Obsidian keeps the initiative and the two parent regulations on one watch.
