While most people are aware of the ongoing tariff-related trade tensions between the U.S. and Europe, changes that could be made to the EU’s Individual Vehicle Approval, or IVA, could ultimately keep bigger American vehicles like full-size pickup trucks from being exported to Europe entirely. The changes have a lot to do with why pickup trucks aren’t popular in Europe.
These possible IVA modifications are being championed by environmental and safety groups that see “monster” trucks like the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, and Ram 1500 as both excessively polluting and extremely unsafe for European cyclists and pedestrians to be near. They point to the fact that the pedestrian death rate in the U.S. is currently three times higher than that of Europe. Some of this has a lot to do with the increasing height of pickup truck hoods, which creates blind spots that can prevent drivers from seeing adults or children directly in front of them. It’s one of the signs that the U.S. Government cares more about cars than pedestrian safety.
One major difference between the vehicle certification process in the U.S. and Europe is that U.S. manufacturers can self-certify that their vehicles meet all applicable safety standards and NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) takes their word for it. In Europe, a process called type approval is required, meaning carmakers must submit vehicles for safety and emissions testing before they go on sale. Type approval would likely keep U.S. trucks out.
What else should you know about American cars that are exported to Europe?
In reality, the U.S-to-Europe export picture is different from what most people might imagine it to be. Of the 205,000 vehicles shipped to Europe in 2024, total of 7,000 were full-size pickup trucks. The vast majority of these vehicles, numbering 188,000 units, came from the Mercedes-Benz and BMW plants located in the United States, including, the greatest car built here.
For reference, a total of 10,632,381 new cars were sold in the EU in 2024. So, it would appear that the sales of these large pickups into the European market are more of a symbolic gesture, in the scheme of things.
But symbolic gestures matter, particularly to the current administration, who sees the EU’s potential prohibition of these vehicles as overt protectionism. It is entirely possible that the EU will acquiesce and permit the relatively small amount of these full-size pickup trucks to be sold for the foreseeable future. We don’t have the EU’s final decision in this matter just yet.
If the July 27, 2025, deal between the EU and U.S. holds, there will be a U.S. tariff ceiling of 15% for most EU exports, which will apply to cars, pharmaceuticals, lumber, and semiconductors. In 2024, the value of the EU-US trade partnership was 1.6 trillion Euros, so a few thousand full-size pickup trucks will hopefully not be a deal-breaker.
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