Regulations on Engine Reprogramming in Luxembourg

Enhanced Control from April 1, 2025

Starting April 1, 2025, Luxembourg has decided to more scrupulously enforce its legislation aimed at harmonizing vehicle modification practices while ensuring their compliance with environmental and safety standards. From this date, Luxembourg will implement enhanced control to ensure that all reprogramming strictly adheres to all rules, and unauthorized modifications will be severely prosecuted.

Strict Application of Legal Requirements

The legislation is based on several articles of the Luxembourg Highway Code, as well as European regulations relating to vehicle emissions and safety. More specifically, Directive 2014/45/EU imposes technical inspection requirements, which also include engine reprogramming. Chapter 5 of the amended law of February 14, 1955, explicitly specifies the extended powers available to the Grand Ducal Police, which it intends to actively implement.

Any modification of the engine mapping must be carried out by an approved professional and validated by a competent body to be considered approved. Each approved reprogramming is thus automatically recorded in the database of the National Society of Automotive Traffic (SNCA), to ensure the monitoring and compliance of modified vehicles.

What Will Now Be Allowed

From April 1, 2025, only approved reprogramming will be allowed. These must meet strict criteria:

• Compliance with environmental standards: Reprogramming must not lead to an increase in pollutant emissions beyond authorized thresholds.

• Guaranteed safety: No reprogramming should affect the safety of the vehicle, particularly braking systems, traction control, and other active safety devices.

• Validation by an approved center: Reprogramming must be carried out by a certified and approved professional, equipped to ensure compliance with applicable standards.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

Luxembourg has decided to implement rigorous control from April 1, 2025, to ensure that these new standards are met. The Luxembourg authorities have announced that severe penalties will be applied in the event of non-compliance with these rules. Under the amended law of February 14, 1955, a non-compliant vehicle may be prohibited from driving until its status is regularized. Administrative fines of up to 2,500 euros will also be applied, and restrictions may be imposed on the renewal of the technical inspection.

In the most serious cases, where vehicle safety is endangered, criminal penalties, ranging from temporary license suspension to prison sentences in the event of recidivism, may be considered.

Enhanced Monitoring: More Assiduous Control

To ensure compliance with these new rules, the Grand Ducal Police and technical inspection centers have acquired advanced detection devices. These devices will allow for more precise verification of whether a vehicle has been reprogrammed without changing the vehicle registration document. Vehicle technical data will be cross-referenced with those recorded in the SNCA database to verify their compliance. In the event of non-compliance, immediate measures will be taken, including driving bans and fines.

Implications for Professionals in the Automotive Sector

This regulation will have a direct impact on professionals in the automotive sector, particularly those specialized in engine reprogramming. They will have to comply with the new legal requirements, obtain the necessary certifications, and invest in adequate equipment to meet emissions and safety standards. In the event of non-compliance, they risk heavy penalties for selling services that compromise the compliance of a vehicle driving on public roads, in violation of the Highway Code, pollution rules, or noise nuisance standards. These offenses could even be considered tax fraud in cases where reprogramming results in an increase in undeclared CO₂ emissions.

Furthermore, companies that do not comply with these rules also risk the withdrawal of their establishment authorization.

Conclusion

Luxembourg is implementing stricter control from April 1, 2025, to ensure the compliance of engine reprogramming and to preserve road safety and the environment. It is essential that drivers and professionals in the sector prepare now to avoid any non-compliance during future technical inspections and checks.