What Is Euro 6 / Euro 6d / Euro 6e?
The Euro class is a legal emissions limit tied to when the car was type-approved and registered. It affects city access, resale value and, for diesels, whether your car has a future in German cities.
The classes you will see
| Class | Roughly from | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Euro 4 | 2005 | Green sticker; diesels banned from several city zones |
| Euro 5 | 2009 | Diesels restricted in some cities; weak resale |
| Euro 6b | 2014 | Lab-tested only; some diesel restrictions |
| Euro 6c | 2018 | Real-driving particulate testing added |
| Euro 6d-TEMP | 2017–2019 | First real-world NOx limits; generally accepted everywhere |
| Euro 6d | 2020 | Tighter real-world NOx conformity factor |
| Euro 6e | 2023 onward | Current standard; stricter testing again |
The diesel line that matters
If you are buying a diesel to keep, Euro 6d-TEMP is the practical minimum. Cities that introduced Diesel-Fahrverbote (Hamburg, Stuttgart, Darmstadt and others) drew the line at Euro 6. Euro 5 diesels are cheap for exactly this reason.
Petrol cars
Petrol is far less exposed. Euro 4 and newer petrol cars get the green sticker and are not subject to the diesel bans. From Euro 6c onward, direct-injection petrols carry a particulate filter (OPF), which is a genuine improvement but another wear part.
What about Euro 7?
Euro 7 was agreed in 2024 with application dates phasing in from late 2026 for new car types. It is less severe than originally proposed for exhaust limits but adds brake and tyre particulate rules. It will not retroactively affect a car you buy now, but expect it to soften demand for older diesels further.