Vehicle recycling up 11% in Finland as new rules reshape EV battery handling

Suomen Autokierrätys Oy says vehicle recycling in Finland has risen this year, with 43,290 end-of-life vehicles processed between January and August, an 11 percent increase on the same period in 2025. August was particularly strong, with an 18 percent year-on-year jump. Suomen Autokierrätys Oy credited the improvement to a scrappage bonus campaign and a modest recovery in the general economy. That pace brings volumes closer to normal annual totals, but the sector remains short of peak years: Finland averages 70,000–80,000 permanently deregistered vehicles per year, and the record year 2021 reached 106,000.

New producer-responsibility rules now require all traction batteries from electric cars to be routed through the producer collective’s system. A recycling platform introduced at the turn of the year aims to simplify reporting, improve the quality of data provided to authorities and enable systematic preparation of batteries for reuse. So far this year there have been almost 1,500 recycling notifications for traction batteries and modules, including just over 300 complete batteries, the majority using NMC chemistry.

Autoloop Oy supplies market data and trend analysis to Suomen Autokierrätys. CEO Juha Kenraali said the wider economy, together with material prices, appears to drive scrapping volumes and that activity has increased. "We base our thinking and development on raw facts and recommend others do the same. With analytics and AI we have already created a large amount of added value, including intangible value," he said.

Regional interest in battery technologies was highlighted by the Nordic Battery Summit in Tampere in May.