The state of EU Right to Repair — what consumers can actually claim today

Most people assume the EU Right to Repair Directive means they can now demand a repair for any broken product. They can''t — at least not yet.

Current EU rules are a patchwork: a strong Ecodesign baseline for some product groups, a Batteries Regulation that mandates replaceable batteries by February 2027, an Energy label repair score for a handful of categories, and a brand-new Right to Repair Directive that EU member states must transpose by 31 July 2026.

The result is uneven. Your smartphone is well covered. Your coffee machine is barely covered at all.

This is a working summary, based on the coalition analysis published by Right to Repair Europe and Runder Tisch Reparatur (March 2026).

What the EU framework actually contains

Five instruments do most of the work:

1. Ecodesign Regulations — repairable design and access to spare parts for specific product groups (washing machines, dishwashers, fridges, TVs, smartphones, tablets, welders, local space heaters, …).
2. Batteries Regulation — by 18 February 2027, portable batteries in most consumer products must be removable and replaceable by the end-user.
3. Right to Repair Directive (2024/1799) — manufacturer duty to repair, reasonable spare-part prices, the right to use compatible parts, and a ban on software locks that block independent repair. Member states must transpose by 31 July 2026.
4. Energy label — includes a repair score for certain electronics (today: smartphones and tablets).
5. Sale of Goods Directive — the existing two-year legal guarantee, extended by the Right to Repair Directive when a repair is carried out under guarantee.

What it means in practice

The table below maps every major consumer product group against the seven rights that the EU framework is supposed to deliver. Read it as: "If my product breaks tomorrow, what can I actually demand?"

The pattern

A few things stand out:

• Smartphones and tablets are the model. They have repairable design, replaceable batteries, a repair score on the energy label, and long-term software updates. This is what universal right to repair looks like.
• Large white goods are halfway there. Ecodesign already requires a repairable design. The Right to Repair Directive will add a duty to repair, reasonable spare-part prices, and the right to use compatible parts — but only from 31 July 2026, and only for new models.
• Small appliances and consumer electronics outside smartphones/tablets are mostly uncovered. Coffee machines, vacuum cleaners, laptops, headphones, game consoles — the Right to Repair Directive does not automatically apply to them. New Ecodesign work is underway, but in force? Not yet.
• Vehicles, tools, toys, furniture, textiles — almost nothing is in force, and most rules are still being developed.

What this means if you sell, repair, or regulate products

For manufacturers and importers of products already in scope (smartphones, tablets, large white goods, TVs, welders, heaters, e-bikes, e-scooters), the 31 July 2026 deadline is binding. You need an ERIF (European Repair Information Form) flow, transparent spare-part pricing, and a documented duty-to-repair process — before the first national transposition lands.

For independent repairers, the Directive is good news: you get an explicit right to use compatible spare parts and protection against software locks. But you also need to be able to prove a repair was carried out competently — that''s where standardised repair records and ERIFs become your defence pack.

For consumers, the honest answer today is: you have a strong right to repair on a smartphone or a fridge, a partial right on a TV or e-bike, and almost nothing on most small appliances and consumer electronics. That gap is what the next round of Ecodesign work is supposed to close.

Sources

• Right to Repair Europe — What''s my right to repair? — https://repair.eu/whats-my-right-to-repair/
• Right to Repair Europe & Runder Tisch Reparatur — Overview table: Current state of the EU right to repair, March 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
• Funded by the German Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection.
• EU Directive (EU) 2024/1799 of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules promoting the repair of goods.