The latest draft PM’s Decision on the national technical regulation on exhaust emissions for road-going automobiles is receiving much public attention. 

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE), the agency primarily responsible for drafting, the roadmap aims to control and minimize air pollution caused by vehicle emissions, contributing to protecting public health and improving the quality of the living environment.

This also serves as a legal basis to gradually eliminate vehicles that do not meet the emission standards, promoting the transition to clean, environmentally friendly vehicles, in line with Vietnam's international commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop sustainable urban transport.

The principle is that older cars will apply lower emission standards, while newer cars will apply higher emission standards. 

VietNamNet has found that a series of older car models, still common on the market, will be directly affected.

The draft stipulates that car models manufactured before 1999, when used in traffic, will apply Emission Standard Level 1 (equivalent to Euro 1 standard) from the effective date of the Decision.

Thus, older models like the 1996 Toyota Corolla, Daewoo Cielo, Kia Pride, Ford Laser, or Mitsubishi Lancer are all in the group that may be directly affected when the stricter emission standard roadmap is applied. 

These were once popular models, with current prices ranging only from VND30 million to VND190 million, suitable for middle-income earners or for use as secondary vehicles. However, most of these cars were manufactured before 2000, only meeting Level 1 or Level 2 (equivalent to Euro 1–2), making it difficult to pass the new inspection requirements.

Notably, even premium models like the 1990 Mercedes-Benz W124, despite having the high collector's value of hundreds of millions of VND, will be also impacted.

At the next level, the draft specifies that autos manufactured in 1999 – 2016 will apply Emission Standard Level 2 (equivalent to Euro 2 standard) from the effective date of the Decision.

In this group, popular models like Toyota Innova, Fortuner, Vios, and Mazda 3 have relatively high resale prices, ranging from over VND200 million to VND400 million, and are still favored by many users for their durability and ease of repair. 

However, if they do not meet the new emission standards, inspection, circulation, and even buying and selling of these cars may face difficulties. Small car models like Kia Morning, Hyundai Grand i10, and Ford Focus, which were chosen for their low running costs, are also at risk of being "denied registration inspection" if they fail to meet the standard after 2026.

At the third level, the draft stipulates that automobiles manufactured in 2017-2021 will apply Emission Standard Level 3 (equivalent to Euro 3 standard) from January 1, 2026; specifically for Hanoi and HCMC, Level 4 (equivalent to Euro 4 standard) will apply from January 1, 2027.

These are models that account for a large proportion of the used car market, including  VinFast Fadil, Hyundai Accent, Honda City, Mitsubishi Xpander, Mazda CX-5, Ford Ranger, and Toyota Corolla Cross. The resale price of these cars currently ranges from about VND300 million to nearly VND700 million, depending on the year and version.

Automobiles manufactured from 2022 will apply Level 4 from January 1, 2026; Level 5 (equivalent to Euro 5 standard) from January 1, 2032; specifically for Hanoi and HCMC, Level 5 will apply from January 1, 2028.

Models manufactured from 2022 onwards are considered the latest generation, which already meets Emission Standard Level 4. According to the roadmap, this group of cars will have to meet Level 5 in Hanoi and HCMC from 2028, and nationwide from 2032. 

Popular 2022 models like Toyota Vios, Hyundai Creta, Toyota Corolla Cross, and Mazda CX-5 are all within the official warranty period. The current listed price ranges from about VND458 million to over VND900 million, depending on the model, version, and equipment. For "lightly used" cars, the price may be slightly lower than the official on-road price.

From 2029, all cars in Hanoi, HCMC to apply level 2 or higher

At the final level, the draft proposes that from January 1, 2029, all automobiles participating in traffic in Hanoi and HCMC must meet Level 2 or higher. This implementation time is one year earlier than the proposal made in early August this year.

Notably, types of automobiles manufactured and assembled under the Technical Safety and Environmental Protection Certificate issued before January 1, 2022, until the time they expire, will apply the same emission level as cars manufactured in 2017-2021 (Level 3).

Hoang Hiep