The arrival of large American pickups in Europe is raising concerns among associations like Transport & Environment (T&E), which openly warn of road safety risks. The fear is that an EU–U.S. agreement on mutual recognition of automotive standards could open the door to less safe, more polluting vehicles, without the safety obligations currently imposed on European cars. At risk are requirements such as automatic emergency braking, seatbelt reminders, and pedestrian protection measures.
American Pickups in Europe: T&E Raises Safety Alarm
According to T&E, such a deal could have serious consequences, boosting the spread of vehicles like RAM pickups, which already enter the market using the so-called Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) loophole, bypassing EU requirements. In 2024, around 7,000 U.S. pickups were sold in the EU, more than 5,000 of them RAMs, a 6% increase compared to the previous year. This brought the total number of RAM pickups on European roads to about 25,000.
One of the main concerns involves emissions: RAM pickups emit an average of 347 grams of CO₂ per kilometer, more than three times the average of new cars and almost double that of vans currently on sale. But safety remains the biggest issue. Data show that pickups are nearly three times more likely to kill a pedestrian than a standard passenger car. The hood of a RAM, for example, stands about 130 cm high, making children under nine virtually invisible when in front of the vehicle.
Even though new safety rules came into effect in Europe on July 1, 2024, they do not apply to pickups imported under the IVA loophole. Meanwhile, costs are falling: with the agreement, the price of RAM pickups could drop by as much as €6,000, making them even more competitive in the European market.
All of this comes as U.S. data show a pedestrian fatality rate three times higher than in the EU. For T&E and other road safety groups, opening the European market to such vehicles without proper technical guarantees risks becoming a major step backward. That’s why they are calling for the IVA loophole to be closed and for all vehicles, regardless of origin, to meet the same environmental and safety standards.
