The proposal introduces two new laws: the “Road Infrastructure Charges Act” and the „Heavy Vehicle Carbon Dioxide Emission Class Act.”
These introduce new principles for calculating, differentiating, and collecting tolls based on both infrastructure usage and external costs like air pollution and noise.
Additionally, HGVs will be categorized based on their carbon dioxide emissions, influencing the toll they pay.
The move is in line with the EU’s updated ‘Eurovignette’ directive, which aims to create a level playing field for road tolls across the bloc and encourage the use of cleaner vehicles. By charging higher tolls for more polluting trucks, Sweden hopes to encourage investment in greener technologies and reduce overall emissions.
While the core changes take effect in May, specific provisions within the „Road Infrastructure Charges Act” will be implemented later.
Sections related to congestion charges will commence on January 1, 2026, while provisions addressing differentiated tolls for different vehicle types will begin on March 25, 2026.
Other amendments included in the bill will be enforced alongside the May 1st start date, with one exception: changes to the „Council of Europe and OECD Convention on Mutual Assistance in Tax Matters” will come into effect at a later date determined by the government.
Photo credits @ Holger.Ellgaard, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons