Mandatory increases came into force on the basis of the EU directive on Eurovignette. It obliges member states to implement a road toll, the amount of which will depend on CO2 emissions into the atmosphere – explains Jakub Gwiazdowski, Head of Partnership and Relations at Transcash.eu – The fee is to be calculated based on emission classes, where the lowest (first) means vehicles emitting the most carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and the highest – electric and hydrogen vehicles. The aim of the directive is clear – to reduce harmful gas emissions into the atmosphere in accordance with the "Fit for 55" package, which assumes a reduction in the scale of air pollution by 55 percent by 2030.
The directive was adopted in 2022 and gave EU countries two years to include the new fee in their tolls. Germany was one of the few countries to do so in 2023.
The amount of the fee shocked the Polish transport market because it almost doubled the toll rate even for vehicles with the highest emission class.
Road tolls have also increased significantly in Hungary – according to estimates by Easytrip Transport Services, a provider of mobility services for the European TSL industry, the toll there has increased by an average of 30%, and for vehicles with 5 or more axles – by 50%.
Fortunately for drivers, the scale of increases in other EU countries is, so far, much lower. In Belgium, they range from 5 to 17 percent, in Austria – 8.5 percent, in Spain no more than 7 percent, in France – 3.5 percent, and in Italy and Portugal, they balance between 1.5 and 2 percent. So far, we do not know where Poland will fall on this scale, because the rate has not yet been set, says Jakub Gwiazdowski.
How will these numbers translate into real toll costs in individual countries?
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Rising CO2 toll in Hungary's transport sector in 2024
Although the German toll increases have outraged Polish public opinion, the Hungarians are equally radical in this respect, having begun a series of increases in October 2023. Currently, the local toll can be classified as one of the highest in Europe. Drivers must also remember that the Hungarian toll is multi-component.
Its final amount consists of the number of kilometers, a basic infrastructure fee and an external fee, intended to cover the costs of air pollution, noise and carbon dioxide emissions related to road transport. The fee also depends on the zone – suburban or intercity.
In addition, the rates of the infrastructure fee result from the type of road, i.e. expressway or national, and only they are uniform. The external fee is variable depending on the emission class and the nature of the area and can be equal to or higher than the infrastructure fee. Currently, its size in relation to the heaviest vehicles, with 5 or more axles, is 40 eurocents per km.
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Rising CO2 toll in Germany's transport sector in 2024
Germany has also implemented increases in 2023. On December 1, road tolls in the country increased by 86% compared to the previous rate for Euro VI trucks. It is calculated not only based on the EURO classification, but also on the vehicle's total weight and the number of its axles.
After the changes, the maximum toll rate applied to vehicles over 18 t in the Euro 1 class, which emits the most pollutants, exceeded 50 eurocents per km, while before the increase it was 35.4 eurocents, i.e. over 16 eurocents less. In the case of vehicles in the Euro VI class, the highest toll rate after the changes (vehicle over 18 t, 5 axles) is almost 35 cents per km.
From 1 July 2024, drivers transporting goods in vehicles or vehicle combinations with a GVM of over 3.5 tonnes will also have to reckon with higher road tolls in Germany. Until now, they were exempt from the tolls, which only applied to vehicles intended for the transport of goods with a total weight exceeding 7.5 tonnes.
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Rising CO2 emissions toll in Czech transport sector in 2024
On March 1, 2024, the Czech toll also increased, and the restrictive method of classifying emissions in this country guarantees that the vast majority of transport companies will feel it.
According to information provided by CzechToll, all combustion-powered vehicles registered before July 1, 2019, were automatically assigned to the first, lowest emission class without the possibility of changing this state of affairs. However, the increases will not be drastic – the Czech government estimates them at 10-15 percent compared to the state before March 2024.
Rising CO2 toll in Austria's transport sector in 2024
At the beginning of 2024, Austria also implemented increases, increasing road tolls by 3.87 euro cents per km for vehicles emitting the most pollutants.
The current increase, although small, will not remain at this level for long, as it is the first in a series – the next increase in fees is to take place in 2025 and 2026. The Austrian government estimates that next year the increase will be around 6.5 cents and the year after that around 9 eurocents.
Rising CO2 emission toll in Lithuanian transport sector in 2024
In Lithuania, tolls have also increased significantly compared to 2023. The cost of purchasing a seven-day vignette for an N2 type truck (3.5-12 t) is currently between 31-67 euros (3 axles) and 54-153 euros for 4 and more axles. N3 type vehicles (over 12 t) must pay 41-91 euros or 68-153 euros, respectively.
According to data from the service autobahn.com.pl, in February 2023, the fees for the same period (without distinction by axle) amounted to 26-37 euros for N2 type vehicles and 37-52 euros for N3. This means that the rates increased several times compared to the previous year.
Rising CO2 emissions toll in Poland's transport sector in 2024
The obligation to increase toll rates also applies to Poland. In our country, they are regularly updated in line with the level of inflation, which resulted in a 15% increase at the beginning of 2024.
The aforementioned increase, however, does not take into account the EU-imposed CO2 emission fee, which means that the toll must be raised as soon as possible. In theory, we should do this by March 25, 2024, and the changes must be made by the Sejm. However, its work schedule shows that the parliament will not be able to take up this topic before October 2024.
