Euro 7 & DPF Service — Dates, Requirements, and How to Prepare
Table of contents
What Euro 7 changes (and why workshops should care)
The practical risk: residue after drying
The Hybrid Advantage — a three-stage process that prevents residues
AI automation for consistency (and auditability)
Your Euro 7-ready DPF service — a 6-point checklist
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Prepare a DPF Service for Euro 7 — Technology Ready for Stricter Standards
At a glance — what actually changes
• Dates: M1/N1: new types 29 Nov 2026, all new 29 Nov 2027. M2/M3/N2/N3: new types 29 May 2028, all new 29 May 2029. (EUR-Lex)
• Light-duty (M1/N1): tailpipe pollutant limits remain at Euro 6 values, but PN10 applies, RDE is expanded, and new rules cover brake particle and tyre abrasion emissions.
• Heavy-duty (M2/M3/N2/N3): tighter limits (e.g., lower NOx/PM, PN down to 10 nm) plus new NH₃ and N₂O caps and harmonised cycles.
• Durability: in-use compliance extended up to 200,000 km or 10 years (light-duty), with stronger on-road verification.
• Compliance tools: Environmental Vehicle Passport (EVP) and on-board OBM/OBFCM data increase transparency of real-world performance.
What Euro 7 changes (and why workshops should care)
Euro 7 re-frames compliance from a one-off lab test to long-term, real-world performance. For light-duty vehicles (M1/N1), pollutant limit values stay at Euro 6 levels, but regulators now count particles ≥10 nm (PN10), expand RDE coverage, and add brake and tyre emission requirements. Heavy-duty categories (M2/M3/N2/N3) face materially stricter limits (NOx/PM) and new species (NH₃/N₂O), with harmonised WHSC/WHTC limits and strengthened on-road checks.
Critically, Euro 7 extends emissions durability—think 200,000 km / 10 years for light-duty—so post-service filter performance matters more than ever. If cleaning leaves residue that raises Δp, the vehicle’s real-world emissions buffer shrinks.
Dates you must communicate to customers:
• M1/N1: new types from 29 Nov 2026, all new registrations from 29 Nov 2027.
• M2/M3/N2/N3: new types from 29 May 2028, all new registrations from 29 May 2029. (EUR-Lex)
The practical risk: residue after drying
Basic “wash + passive dry” processes often leave fine PM that settles as water evaporates. These residues inflate backpressure (Δp), undermine airflow and shorten the time a vehicle remains compliant under Euro 7’s longer durability horizon. This is a process problem—not a customer problem—and it’s fixable by upgrading the method, not abandoning hydrodynamics.
The Hybrid Advantage — a three-stage process that prevents residues
Otomatic’s DPF-Hybrid™ enhances classic hydrodynamic cleaning with two additional steps that tackle exactly where Euro 7 raises the bar: residue control and repeatability.
1. Pneumatic pre-cleaning — high-energy air pulses open blocked channels and dislodge dry deposits so rinse water can reach deeper.
2. Hydrodynamic flushing — directed flow with detergent removes soot/ash thoroughly.
3. Impulse drying — hot pulsed air physically expels moisture and suspended particles before they can dry and re-deposit.
4. This sequence mitigates post-drying residue and protects the ceramic monolith—key to stable Δp over a longer in-use period.
Learn more about the process: DPF-Hybrid™ technology.
AI automation for consistency (and auditability)
AI SmartClean™ adjusts direction, pressure, flow and cycle length to the filter’s size/structure/contamination—reducing operator variability and damage risk. For Euro 7, that consistency is gold: it supports repeatable outcomes and clean before/after evidence when customers or authorities ask for documentation.
See details: DPF AI SmartClean™
Your Euro 7-ready DPF service — a 6-point checklist
1. Measure & document every job: Δp (backpressure), airflow, and (if applicable) mass of removed deposits — before/after, with a PDF report handed to the customer.
2. Standardise the cycle: pre-clean → wet flush → impulse-dry. Avoid “wash + passive dry” on modern filters.
3. Calibrate for repeatability: use AI SmartClean™ profiles to cut operator error; log parameters for traceability.
4. Protect the monolith: verify pressures/temperatures by substrate type; prefer processes proven to avoid post-drying deposits.
5. Waste handling: use dedicated chemistry and filtration; follow proper chemical and filter cartridge disposal rules (add HowTo on your site).
6. Train your team: week-over-week review of results, parameter logs, and complaint-free rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Do light-duty Euro 7 vehicles have stricter pollutant limit values than Euro 6?
A: The limit values for tailpipe pollutants in M1/N1 remain at Euro 6 levels, but Euro 7 adds PN10, broadens RDE, and introduces brake/tyre emission rules—so the practical bar for compliance is higher.
Q2: When will Euro 7 actually start to matter for my workshop?
A: From 29 Nov 2026/29 Nov 2027 (cars/vans) and 29 May 2028/29 May 2029 (trucks/buses). Vehicles hitting your bay will increasingly be Euro 7-approved and more sensitive to poor cleaning. (EUR-Lex)
Q3: How does Euro 7 track real-world performance?
A: Via expanded on-road testing and data transparency—the Environmental Vehicle Passport (EVP) and OBM/OBFCM make emissions-relevant information available to users and authorities. Poor cleaning tends to show up in the data.
About the author
Christopher Smolec - CEO of OTOMATIC
Expert in business development and customer relationship building. Since 2018, he has been actively involved in promoting and updating machines and methods for cleaning diesel particulate filters, often known by the acronyms: DPF, FAP, GPF.
