Test procedures are constructed for testing the goodness-of-fit in parametric regression models. The test statistic is in the form of an L2 distance between the empirical characteristic function of the residuals in a parametric regression fit and the corresponding empirical characteristic function of the residuals in a non-parametric regression fit. The asymptotic null distribution as well as the behavior of the test statistic under contiguous alternatives is investigated. Theoretical results are accompanied by a simulation study.