Whereas for passenger cars, the standards are defined by vehicle driving distance, g/km, for lorries (trucks) they are defined by engine energy output, g/kWh, and are therefore in no way comparable. The following table contains a summary of the emission standards and their implementation dates. Dates in the tables refer to new type approvals; the dates for all type approvals are in most cases one year later (EU type approvals are valid longer than one year).
The official category name is heavy-duty diesel engines, which generally includes lorries and buses.
EU Emission Standards for HD Diesel Engines, g/kWh (smoke in m−1)
| Tier | Date | Test cycle | CO | HC | NOx | PM | Smoke |
| Euro I | 1992, < 85 kW | ECE R-49 | 4.5 | 1.1 | 8.0 | 0.612 | |
| 1992, > 85 kW | 4.5 | 1.1 | 8.0 | 0.36 | |||
| Euro II | October 1996 | 4.0 | 1.1 | 7.0 | 0.25 | ||
| October 1998 | 4.0 | 1.1 | 7.0 | 0.15 | |||
| Euro III | October 1999 EEVs only | ESC & ELR | 1.0 | 0.25 | 2.0 | 0.02 | 0.15 |
| October 2000 | ESC & ELR | 2.1 | 0.66 | 5.0 | 0.10 0.13* |
0.8 | |
| Euro IV | October 2005 | 1.5 | 0.46 | 3.5 | 0.02 | 0.5 | |
| Euro V | October 2008 | 1.5 | 0.46 | 2.0 | 0.02 | 0.5 | |
| Euro VI | 31. December 2013[19] | 1.5 | 0.13 | 0.4 | 0.01 | ||
| * for engines of less than 0.75 dm³ swept volume per cylinder and a rated power speed of more than 3,000 per minute. EEV is “Enhanced environmentally friendly vehicle“. | |||||||
Emission standards for Large Goods Vehicles
| Euro norm emissions for category N3, EDC, (2000 and up) | |||||
| Standard | Date | CO (g/kWh) | NOx (g/kWh) | HC (g/kWh) | PM (g/kWh) |
| Euro 0 | 1988–1992 | 12.3 | 15.8 | 2.6 | none |
| Euro I | 1992–1995 | 4.9 | 9.0 | 1.23 | 0.40 |
| Euro II | 1995–1999 | 4.0 | 7.0 | 1.1 | 0.15 |
| Euro III | 1999–2005 | 2.1 | 5.0 | 0.66 | 0.1 |
| Euro IV | 2005–2008 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 0.46 | 0.02 |
| Euro V | 2008–2012 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 0.46 | 0.02 |