1. Introduction

The National Association of Two-Wheel Sector Companies of Spain (ANESDOR), in collaboration with the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), publishes a catalog of airbags for motorcyclists in which manufacturers voluntarily declare the conformity of their products. As of April 2026, the catalog —available at airbag.anesdor.com/catalogo/— includes a total of 19 brands and over 50 models. The platform itself warns that ANESDOR and the DGT do not validate the information declared by the manufacturers; the manufacturers themselves assume responsibility for its veracity.

This document critically analyzes these brands and models from three angles: the European regulatory framework, the technical requirements of each certification, and the practical implications for the user who must choose a protection system for their vital organs.

2. Regulatory Framework: Regulation (EU) 2016/425

Motorcycle airbags are Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that, because they protect against risks with very serious consequences, including death, are classified as Category III according to Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2016/425. This classification entails the most demanding level of conformity assessment:

•       EU type-examination (module B) carried out by a Notified Body in the NANDO network.

•       Supervised production control at random intervals (module C2) or quality assurance of the production process (module D), according to Article 19.c.

•       CE marking accompanied by the identification number of the Notified Body (Article 17.3).

•       Retention of technical documentation and EU declaration of conformity for 10 years (Article 8.3).

Additionally, Article 14 states that the presumption of conformity only applies to harmonized standards whose references are published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). The only harmonized standard, published in the OJEU, is EN 1621-4 for mechanically activated motorcycle airbags. The standard for electronic airbags (EN 1621-5) has not yet been approved or published.

3. Catalog Overview by Certification

The catalog is divided into three groups according to the declared certification:

* Each with 1–2 models in the catalog.

4. Technical comparison of standards

4.1 EN 1621-4 vs. CRITT AMC-013

Both protocols use the same impact energy (50 J) and the same impact mass (5 kg), but they differ radically in the accepted residual force threshold:

4.2 The case of CERTOTTICA (electronic airbags)

Alpinestars and Dainese are brands with extensive experience and investment in R&D. Their electronic systems use algorithms capable of detecting an accident and activating the airbag in milliseconds. However, the harmonized European standard EN 1621-5—which should regulate these systems—has not yet been approved or published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). This means that no electronic airbag can currently demonstrate presumption of conformity with Regulation (EU) 2016/425, regardless of the manufacturer's reputation or the product's price. CERTOTTICA is a recognized Italian body, but its certification does not equate to a published harmonized standard.

5. Analysis by brand group

Group A — EN 1621-4 Certification: AIROBAG, HIT-AIR, MOTOAIRBAG

These are the three longest-standing brands in the motorcycle airbag market. Their products comply with the only current harmonized European standard for this type of PPE. All their references are mechanically activated, which implies a simple mechanism, without electronics, highly reliable and easily reusable after an accident by simply replacing the gas cartridge. The certification has been issued by Notified Bodies of the NANDO network, which guarantees an independent evaluation process supervised by the European Commission.

Group B — CERTOTTICA Certification: ALPINESTARS, DAINESE

High-end products with advanced electronic technology. They offer faster activation speeds than mechanical systems and are the reference option in competition in several categories supervised by the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM), such as MotoGP. However, the absence of a harmonized European standard for electronic systems prevents full presumption of conformity under Regulation 2016/425. These are trusted products for the demanding user, but they do not have the highest available regulatory accreditation. In fact, the FIM itself is working on drafting its own standard at the time of writing this document.

Group C — CRITT Certification: 14 remaining brands

These constitute the majority of the catalog. The CRITT AMC-013 protocol accepts up to 24.5 kN of equivalent peak force, compared to the 3 kN required by EN 1621-4 Level 2: a difference in requirements of approximately eight times. This group includes brands with decades of market presence (Helite, Klim) and products with a shorter history. CRITT certification does not necessarily imply poor manufacturing quality, but it does imply a significantly lower impact absorption threshold than that required by the European standard.

6. Conclusions and recommendations

The ANESDOR catalog is a valuable tool for market transparency, but its usefulness is maximized when consumers understand that mere presence in the catalog does not imply equivalence of protection among the listed products.

According to the technical documents analyzed, the recommended verification process before purchasing a motorcycle airbag is the triad of standard + laboratory + document:

•       Standard: verify that the certification is EN 1621-4 (the only published harmonized European standard).

•       Laboratory: confirm that the certification has been issued by a Notified Body from the European Commission's NANDO network.

•       Document: request the certificate and verify its authenticity using the issuing body's electronic signature.

With this criterion, the only brands in the catalog that fully meet the safety triad (Standard+Laboratory+Document) are AIROBAG, HIT-AIR, and MOTOAIRBAG. The rest offer different degrees of quality and tradition, but without the certification of higher technical requirements verified by current European regulations. Electronic airbags from top-tier brands (Alpinestars, Dainese) can be a valid option for advanced users, but they should be evaluated with the expectation that the complete standard for electronic devices is still pending publication.

In the field of PPE that protects vital organs, the difference between rigorous certification and less demanding certification can determine the outcome of an accident. An airbag certified with EN 1621-4 and a helmet certified with ECE-22.06 currently represent the highest accredited protection available for a motorcyclist.

Sources: ANESDOR Catalog (airbag.anesdor.com) • Regulation (EU) 2016/425 of the European Parliament • Standard EN 1621-4 (CEN, 2013) • CRITT AMC-013 Protocol • Comparative technical analysis of standards