EV batteries: do you need a battery passport?
The short answer
Electric vehicle batteries need a battery passport to be placed on the EU market from 18 February 2027, whatever the capacity. That covers traction batteries of hybrid or electric vehicles of categories M, N and O, and traction batteries of L-category vehicles that weigh more than 25 kg.
Three steps to decide
Does it drive a road vehicle?
A battery designed to provide traction power in hybrid or electric vehicles of category M (passenger), N (goods) or O (trailers) is an electric vehicle battery.
Is it an L-category battery above 25 kg?
Traction batteries of L-category vehicles (two- and three-wheelers and similar) above 25 kg are electric vehicle batteries; at 25 kg or less they are LMT batteries. Both need a passport.
What to do
No capacity threshold; all need a passport: gather the data, publish it, print the QR code.
Common products
| Product (example) | Category | Passport needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Battery pack of an electric passenger car, 60 kWh | Electric vehicle battery | Yes No capacity threshold |
| Battery pack of an electric truck, 120 kWh | Electric vehicle battery | Yes No capacity threshold |
| Traction battery of a plug-in hybrid, 1 kWh | Electric vehicle battery | Yes Hybrids count |
| Electric motorcycle (L category) traction battery, 30 kg | Electric vehicle battery | Yes L category, above 25 kg |
| Lead-acid starter battery of a car | Starting, lighting and ignition (SLI) battery | No passport QR code needed |
The table gives examples and the numbers are for illustration. Ask us where your product falls; what we say is for reference and not legal advice.
What the regulation says
What an electric vehicle battery is
“a battery that is specifically designed to provide electric power for traction in hybrid or electric vehicles of category L as provided for in Regulation (EU) No 168/2013, that weighs more than 25 kg, or a battery that is specifically designed to provide electric power for traction in hybrid or electric vehicles of categories M, N or O as provided for in Regulation (EU) 2018/858”
Electric vehicle batteries need a battery passport
“From 18 February 2027 each LMT battery, each industrial battery with a capacity greater than 2 kWh and each electric vehicle battery placed on the market or put into service shall have an electronic record (‘battery passport’).”
A starter battery is not an electric vehicle battery
“a battery that is specifically designed to supply electric power for starting, lighting, or ignition and that can also be used for auxiliary or backup purposes in vehicles, other means of transport or machinery”
Quotes are from the English text of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542; the text published in the Official Journal prevails.
Which data you fill in
Of the 92 data points in the field list, 87 apply to electric vehicle batteries.
- 59Required from 18 Feb 2027
- 2Conditional
- 14Not yet required
- 12Optional
Source: PassBridge field list, compiled from Annex XIII and the BatteryPass data attribute longlist v2.0. Carbon footprint, due diligence and a few more fill in only once the rules apply; the platform marks them “not required in February 2027”.
Common mistakes
“A hybrid’s battery is small, so no passport.”
In fact: Electric vehicle batteries have no capacity threshold; the traction battery of a hybrid needs a passport too.
“Every battery in a car needs a passport.”
In fact: Starting, lighting and ignition (SLI) batteries are not electric vehicle batteries: no passport, but a QR code from 18 Feb 2027.
“All L-category batteries are LMT batteries.”
In fact: Only up to 25 kg; above 25 kg an L-category traction battery is an electric vehicle battery.
Still not sure? Ask us.
Tell us about your product and we say which category it falls in, whether it needs a passport and by when.
More battery types
Deadline: 18 February 2027 · Passport and QR code are required from the same day.
