Screwdriver, Not Soldering Iron: Brussels Sets the Rules for User-Replaceable Batteries

Manufacturers selling battery-powered devices in Europe will have to design them so ordinary users can swap the cells themselves, under guidance the European Commission has just published. The document, filed as C/2026/5531 in the Official Journal of the European Union, sets out how the removability and replaceability rules for portable batteries and light-means-of-transport batteries should be applied in practice.

The core obligation arrives on 18 February 2027, when Article 11 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 starts applying to products containing batteries. From that date, portable batteries in appliances must be built so end users can remove and replace them easily with commercially available tools — no specialist equipment, heat or solvents required, unless the manufacturer supplies the necessary tool free of charge.

Replacement cells must also stay available as spare parts for at least five years after the last unit of a model is placed on the market, at a reasonable and non-discriminatory price. Software must not block or artificially complicate the swap, according to the guidance.

Which products are exempt

Not every device falls under the do-it-yourself rule. The Commission carves out equipment used in wet environments, certain medical devices and appliances that need a permanent power supply for safety reasons.

Delegated act C(2026) 5031 final lists the product categories where removal and replacement may be reserved for independent professionals. They include:

• water-, splash- and immersion-resistant and washable devices, including wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers,
• professional medical imaging and radiotherapy equipment under Regulation (EU) 2017/745, plus in-vitro diagnostics under Regulation (EU) 2017/746,
• wearable systems for subcutaneous drug delivery, such as medication pumps,
• electric toys with built-in batteries until 31 July 2030,
• wireless probes for food thermometers,
• equipment for use in explosive atmospheres under Directive 2014/34/EU (ATEX), and
• roof-mounted telematics devices for agricultural and construction machinery.

Wireless in-ear headphones get no such exemption. Devices already sold are unaffected by the new provisions, and external power banks, charging cases and jump starters fall outside Article 11 altogether. For light electric vehicles such as e-bikes and e-scooters, the rules stipulate that battery replacement — including individual battery cells — must be carried out by independent professionals.

Smartphones: no removable cover required

Mobile phones and tablets are governed first by ecodesign Regulation (EU) 2023/1670, which has required seven years of spare-part availability since 20 June 2025. The 18 February 2027 deadline therefore does not mean every smartphone must have a removable back cover.

Professional repair services may still handle the swap, provided the device is IP67-certified and the battery retains at least 83 percent of its original capacity after 500 full charge cycles and at least 80 percent after 1,000 cycles.

Labels, leaflets and a fire risk

Beyond the technical requirements, the Commission stresses information duties. Manufacturers must supply understandable instructions and safety information, including in digital form. End users must be explicitly told that waste batteries do not belong in ordinary household refuse, and given clear guidance on handling, packaging, storage and transport to collection points.

The reason for these rules is a serious safety hazard: small lithium batteries — the kind found in greeting cards, smart clothing, wearables and e-cigarettes — repeatedly cause dangerous fires in waste and recycling plants.

A separate delegated regulation, (EU) 2026/1770 of 14 July 2026, was published in the EU Official Journal on 22 October 2026 and enters into force twenty days later, on 11 November 2026. The substantive obligations, however, only bite from the 2027 date.