Pedestrians, cyclists and motorists face heightened risks as the surge of oversized US pick-up trucks onto European roads looks set to accelerate following the publication of the EU-US trade pact, claims Transport & Environment (T&E).
Released on 21 August, the pact commits both sides to “accept and provide mutual recognition to each other’s standards” for cars. Critics warn this could undermine decades of hard-won safety and emissions regulations in Europe.
James Nix, Vehicles Policy Manager at T&E, described the agreement as a “betrayal of all EU citizens”. He warned: “To allow more US SUVs and pick-ups to be sold with far lower safety and air pollution standards would be a betrayal of all EU citizens. The EU’s planned capitulation on vehicle trade rules is set to cost lives on European roads. To implement this disastrous pact would mean scrapping European laws that mandate emergency braking, seat belt reminders, and ban razor sharp edges on vehicles. These are laws Member States and MEPs would have to ‘unmake’. It will be over to MEPs and Member States to see if they are actually going to undo 20 years of road safety improvements.”
Even before the deal, sales of American “monster” trucks were climbing under a regulatory loophole. In 2024 alone, around 7,000 US pick-ups were sold in Europe via the Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) route, which allows imports without requiring compliance with EU safety or climate standards. Of these, roughly 5,200 were RAM models.
According to T&E’s analysis:
- Emissions: RAM pick-ups emit an average of 347g CO₂/km – more than three times the EU fleet average of 106g/km, and nearly double that of new vans (185g/km).
- Visibility hazards: With bonnets measuring up to 130cm, children under nine standing directly in front of RAMs are invisible to drivers.
- Pedestrian fatalities: Pick-ups are nearly three times more likely to kill a pedestrian or cyclist in a collision compared with a standard car.
Sales are rising steadily. Imports of RAM pick-ups increased by 6% last year, bringing the total number registered on European roads to around 25,000 – a stark rise from near non-existence six years ago. Other models, including the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, have also grown rapidly, with imports rising more than tenfold since 2019.
The US experience offers a sobering warning. Pedestrian road deaths there are now three times higher than in Europe, after being roughly on par in 2009. Analysts point to the boom in oversized SUVs and pick-ups as a key factor in the worsening fatality rate.
“The sad reality, as shown by US crash data, is that oversized US pick-up trucks kill more pedestrians and are a particular threat to the safety of children. We need urgent action to keep non-compliant US pick-ups out – not let more in,” said Nix.
The EU Commission had tabled proposals in July to close the IVA loophole, which included counting IVA vehicles towards manufacturers’ fleet emissions targets and requiring phased compliance with EU safety rules. However, these measures may now be jeopardised by the new trade deal.
Lower tariffs under the pact will also reduce the cost of US imports, with RAMs expected to be around €6,000 cheaper in Europe. Campaigners fear this price cut, combined with regulatory alignment, could unleash a wave of high-emitting, poorly regulated vehicles on European roads – threatening not only climate targets but also pedestrian and cyclist safety.
