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EU replaceable battery rule takes effect 18 February 2027

MobiFacts ·

Phones sold in the EU will need batteries owners can swap using ordinary tools, unless the maker meets waterproofing and cycle-life thresholds and uses approved repairers instead.

The details

  • Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, the EU Batteries Regulation, applies its removability and replaceability requirement to portable batteries in products from 18 February 2027.
  • Batteries must be removable and replaceable using commonly available tools such as a screwdriver. Adhesives that can only be released with heat or solvents are not permitted.
  • There is an alternative compliance route. A device rated at least IP67 whose battery retains 83% of capacity after 500 cycles, or 80% after 1,000 cycles, can restrict replacement to independent or authorised repair providers rather than the end user.
  • A separate rule, Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1670 on ecodesign for smartphones and tablets, has applied since 20 June 2025.
  • That ecodesign rule requires operating system upgrades and security updates to be available free for at least five years after the last unit of a model is placed on the market.
  • It requires spare parts including batteries, displays and charging ports to be available for seven years after a model leaves the EU market, with delivery inside 5 to 10 working days.
  • It sets durability tests, including surviving 45 drops from one metre without a case, plus dust and water resistance requirements.
  • It requires batteries to withstand at least 800 full charge and discharge cycles while retaining 80% of original capacity.
  • Scope covers smartphones with screens between four and seven inches, feature phones, cordless landline handsets with base stations, and slate tablets from seven to 17.4 inches.
  • Every major brand selling in the EU falls in scope, Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi among them. The European Commission has granted derogations from removability requirements case by case.

Why it matters

Phones designed now are the ones that must comply, so the flagships announced this autumn are the last generation before the deadline. The IP67-plus-cycle-life exemption means many buyers will still not get a user-swappable battery; what they should get instead is a longer-lived cell and repair through approved channels.

Sources