The European Commission has amended the Eurovignette Directive to achieve ambitious climate targets of reducing CO2 emissions by 15% by 2025 and 30% by 2030. This involves redefining CO2 emission classes and implementing them in toll tariffs.
The new CO2 emission classes will assign heavy goods vehicles to one of five CO2 emission classes so that toll rates can be differentiated according to these classes. The Directive is effective from 24 March 2022, with EU Member States having a 24-month period to implement and transpose it into national law.
The date and final rates are still under negotiation and will be confirmed along with further details. We’ll keep you informed on how to address the situation and minimize toll payment increases.
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In Germany, the new classes CO2 should be introduced from 1 December 2023. In Austria, from 1 January 2024. It is expected that other countries will gradually follow suit (but each country must have legislation in place by March 2025). We will keep you informed of the changes. We will also assist you in achieving the most favourable emission class (lowest possible toll payment).
Vehicles with low CO2 emissions might have lower toll rates, while vehicles with high CO2 emissions might pay higher rates. As a rule of thumb, the greener your vehicle is, the cheaper the toll rate. For the least environmentally friendly vehicles, the toll increase will be +70-80%. Now it is important to share with us all the necessary data and documents related to the CO2 toll calculation (in your client portal in the Toll section) so that we can show you the best possible conditions.
The required vehicle data* can be found in the Certificate of Conformity (COC), the CIF or the vehicle's technical certificate. These are: Vehicle class, Wheel axle configuration, Technically permissible gross laden mass (F1) [kg], Vehicle group, Cab type (day or sleeper), Engine power rating [kW], CO₂ emission value [gCO2/tkm], Date of first vehicle registration, Vehicle type/chassis configuration. In the first instance, vehicles over 7.5 t will be taken into account, later in Germany on 1.7.24 others from 3.5 t onwards will be added.
Heavy goods vehicles are to be classified into one of five CO2 emission classes so that toll rates can be differentiated by class. All vehicles with an internal combustion engine (diesel, etc.) and a date of first registration before 1 July 2019 will always be classified in CO2 Class 1. It is not necessary to collect more CO2-related parameters than the F.1 mass.
Only for vehicles with an internal combustion engine with a date of first registration from 1. 7. 2019 onwards, CO2 related parameters must be collected if a better CO2 class than 1 is expected. Only if the tractor has 2 axles, including 1 driven axle, and an F.1 mass higher than 16 000 kg, or if the tractor has 3 axles, including 1 driven axle, and any F.1 mass, the CO2 class can be improved. In the case of any other combinations, you will always stay with CO2 class 1.
All zero-emission vehicles (where the engine characteristics are Hydrogen, Combined Hydrogen-Electric, Fuel Cell-Hydrogen, Hybrid Hydrogen-Ethermal Battery, Hybrid Fuel Cell-Hydrogen, Hybrid Fuel Cell-Hydrogen-Ethermal Battery or Electric External) will always be in CO2 Class 5. There is no need to collect any CO2-related parameters other than engine characteristics. And are completely exempt from paying tolls.
The European Commission has amended the Eurovignette Directive in order to achieve the climate improvement targets of a 15% reduction in CO2 emission by 2025 and 30% by 2030. The accompanying introduction of CO2 tolls will classify heavy goods vehicles into one of five CO2 emission classes, so that toll rates can be differentiated according to these classes.
In Germany, these toll revenues are used to improve the infrastructure of the federal roads and for mobility measures - the focus is on the federal railways. The additional revenue from the extension of tolls to trucks over 3.5 tonnes will amount to €3.9 billion over the same period. Of this, €1.8 billion will go towards CO2 differentiation.
