EU Requires Advanced Safety Tech in New Cars and Camper Vans by July 2026

From 7 July 2026 the European Union’s General Safety Regulation II (GSR II) will oblige every newly registered motorhome, camper van and passenger car to be fitted with a suite of advanced driver‑assistance systems. Required equipment for lighter vehicles includes emergency braking, lane‑keeping assistance, fatigue‑detection sensors, intelligent speed assistance, reversing cameras or sensors, tire‑pressure monitoring and distraction warnings. Heavier vehicles must also have blind‑spot information and moving‑off information systems.

Manufacturers must integrate the necessary electronic interfaces at the factory; aftermarket retrofitting is practically impossible. For camper vans the added safety suite is expected to raise purchase prices by €1,000‑3,000. The regulation also mandates that all new cars be built with the electrical connection and mounting space for an alcolock device, although the device itself will only be installed where national law or a court order requires it. Greece has already introduced alcolock on many new buses and is preparing to use the pre‑installed infrastructure for future road‑safety measures.

The measures form part of the EU’s Vision Zero programme, which aims to bring road fatalities in Europe as close to zero as possible by 2050.