« Back to news list

CO2 emission standards for new heavy-duty vehicles and the impact on your business

The European Commission published a proposal which aims to amend existing legislation on CO2 emission performance standards for certain categories of new heavy-duty vehicles in the EU. The proposal sets out how much average CO2 emissions should be reduced by from 2025, 2030, 2035 and 2040, compared to 2019 (the base year).

If ambitious climate targets are to be met, it is vital that the road transport sector continues to contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions through the adoption of low-carbon technologies.

Which vehicles are affected?

Vehicles over 3.5 tonnes initially registered from 1 July 2019 must be ranked in one of five CO2 toll emission classes. All vehicles registered before July 2019 are automatically assigned to class 1.

 

The German CO2 emission classes come into force on December 1, 2023

Thus, starting from December 1, all vehicles over 7.5 tons will be classified in one of the 5 CO2 tax classes, numbered from 1 to 5. All vehicles registered before July 1, 2019 are automatically assigned to class 1 .

The CO2 charging system in Germany will be followed by the one in Austria (from January 2024) and the new rates applied to road taxes will be published soon.

 

How this will impact the commercial road transporters?

Because many commercial road transporters are family-owned SMEs, the transition to a fleet of new Heavy Duty Vehicles (HDV), equipped with the latest technologies, can be expensive.

Moreover, it is expected that the amended legislations will also mean increase in toll tariffs in Europe, based on the European emission standards for heavy-duty diesel engines- g/kWh, as a way to discourage polluting HDVs and encourage the purchase of Low-emission heavy-duty and Emission free vehicles.

Please make sure you are subscribed to the news for further information on the matter.

« Back to news list

News & Events

Spain: temporary measures on VAT and excise duties (March–June 2026)

Dear customer,

We inform you that the Spanish authorities have introduced a set of temporary measures aimed at reducing fuel costs in the transport sector, applicable from 22 March 2026.

Application period
The measures entered into force on 22 March 2026 and are applicable until 30 June 2026, as published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE).
Temporary reduction of the VAT rate
The VAT rate for diesel has been temporarily reduced from 21% to 10%.
The application of the reduced rate in June 2026 depends on the evolution of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the month of April:

If the CPI does not exceed the level of April 2025 by more than 15%, the VAT rate will return to 21%.
If the CPI exceeds this 15% threshold, the reduced rate of 10% will continue to apply in June.

Products covered by the reduced VAT rate: Petrol, Diesel, Hydrocarbons (except coal and solid hydrocarbons)

Excise duty measures – professional diesel

The excise duty refund (EUR 0.049/litre) is temporarily suspended and set at zero.
A temporary aid of EUR 0.20/litre is granted to diesel beneficiaries.
This aid:

Applies to transport operators eligible for the partial refund of excise duty on hydrocarbons;
It is only available for vehicles registered with the Agencia Tributaria;
Temporarily replaces the standard excise duty refund mechanism.
The granting of the aid is conditional on payments being made by fuel cards for diesel.

The Affinity Team

Read more news »

Newsletter Sign up to recieve email updates.