The decision, adopted at the Parliament’s plenary session on 7 October 2025, amends Directive 1999/62/EC (also known as the Eurovignette Directive) and prolongs the current exemption, which was due to expire at the end of this year. The proposal was approved at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure.
The amendment allows Member States to continue applying reduced toll rates or full exemptions for zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles until mid-2031. These incentives are intended to narrow the cost gap between battery-electric or hydrogen trucks and diesel models, which remain cheaper to buy but more expensive to run.
Under current EU rules, Member States are free to decide whether to apply such exemptions; they are not mandatory. The European Commission proposed the extension in July 2025, arguing that a longer incentive period was needed to support fleet decarbonisation and to align with manufacturers’ 2030 CO₂ reduction targets.
Council approval next before law takes effect
The next step in the process is formal endorsement by the Council of the European Union, which had already signalled support in September. Once adopted and published in the Official Journal of the European Union, Member States will be able to transpose the updated provisions into national law, keeping the incentives in place until 30 June 2031.
The extension synchronises the incentive period with the 2030 CO₂ reduction targets for truck manufacturers under Regulation (EU) 2019/1242. According to the European Parliament’s adopted text, the measure aims to create “the right conditions for the wider deployment of zero-emission vehicles” by providing greater investment stability for both hauliers and manufacturers.
Yet because the scheme is voluntary, implementation will vary between Member States. Only a few countries — such as Germany and Austria — currently apply full or partial exemptions, while others have yet to introduce any form of zero-emission toll relief.
Industry welcomes the move but urges faster rollout
The decision has been largely welcomed by industry organisations, which see it as a necessary — though incomplete — step towards cleaner freight transport.
The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) described the vote as an “important step” towards climate-neutral road transport. It highlighted that “full toll exemption is among the most effective, targeted measures to help close the cost gap between zero-emission and conventional trucks,” but cautioned that implementation across the EU remains “patchy”.
In Germany, the VDA (German Association of the Automotive Industry) said the Parliament’s vote sends “a key signal” to accelerate the uptake of zero-emission trucks.
“We welcome the fact that the European Parliament has cleared the way for extending the toll exemption for zero-emission trucks beyond the end of the year,” said VDA President Hildegard Müller. “Such an extension provides the necessary certainty to offset the higher purchase costs of electric trucks through operational savings. For companies in the German automotive industry, this primarily means investment security.”
Müller urged EU and national policymakers to act quickly: “Brussels must now finalise the legislation swiftly, and Berlin must ensure its prompt transposition into national law.” She added that a genuine breakthrough would also require “a rapid and comprehensive expansion of charging and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, as well as a high-performance electricity grid across Europe.”
