On Friday, October 20, 2023, the German Parliament and Federal Council approved the increase in German road toll rates (LKW-MAUT). The new rates will take effect on December 1, 2023.
The very substantial increase is due to the inclusion of a CO2 component in the toll. From December 1, 2023, the vast majority of vehicles will fall into CO2 emissions class 1, which is the most expensive.
CO2 emissions class 1 will cover:
• All vehicles of classes Euro 0 – Euro 5
• All Euro 6 vehicles registered for the first time before July 2019
• Most Euro 6 vehicles registered for the first time after July 2019
Toll Collect, the federal company in charge of collecting and applying tolls, will classify all vehicles by default in class 1 of CO2 emissions
Owners of Euro 6 vehicles, registered for the first time after July 2019, will need to check whether the vehicle can obtain a better classification, using Toll Collect’s emission class finder. In case of a positive result (CO2 emission class better than 1), the vehicle must be registered in the best emission class through the same website.
Vehicles powered by gas (CNG/LNG) will continue to benefit from the exemption from the German LKW-MAUT until December 31, 2023. From January 1, 2024, these vehicles will be subject to the full rates according to their corresponding classes of Euro and CO2 emissions. It must be taken into account that there is also a change regarding the classification of vehicles based on their weight.
From December 1, 2023, the basis for weight classification will no longer be the MMA, but the total permissible mass. (The total permissible mass is indicated in the registration field – F.1 instead of F.2).
This change has possible effects on the amount of the toll. Vehicles may become required to pay tolls while they were previously exempt, or may enter another toll category.
Examples of toll rates in Germany depending on the truck
Example 1: “limit class 7.5 tonnes”: A truck with a GVW of 7,490 kilos and a total permissible mass of 7,500 kilos is not subject to the German toll, but will become subject to it from December 1, 2023.
Example 2: A tractor head with a GVW of 18,000 kilos and a total permissible mass of 19,000 kilos is now subject to the “12-18 t” category. From December 1, 2023, it will be in the category “> 18 tons with up to 3 axles”