Diesel is not the only expense putting increasing pressure on European road haulage operators. Motorway tolls, in their various forms, are also rising steadily. According to the IRU, average toll charges across European road networks have increased by 20% since 2023, and further changes are on the way. During 2026, national tolling systems across the European Union have been amended almost every month, and the first quarter of 2027 promises to be equally busy. Higher charges are being accompanied by the spread of distance-based tolling and components linked to CO2 emissions.
The IRU's EU toll index, which tracks the weekly cost of operating the same reference heavy goods vehicle across nineteen countries, stood at 116.6 points in mid-September 2026, representing an increase of around 17% since the beginning of 2023 and 7% year on year. In Germany, the CO2 component now costs almost as much as the infrastructure charge itself. A 40-tonne, five-axle Euro VI truck in CO2 class 1 pays €0.35 per kilometre, according to the IRU, with the CO2 component accounting for 45.4% of the toll and the infrastructure component for 44.5%. Based on pump prices for diesel in mid-September and fuel consumption of 30 litres per 100 kilometres, tolls and fuel together amount to €1.09 per kilometre.
Four types of tolling system are currently used for heavy goods vehicles in Europe. Cyprus, Finland and Malta do not charge tolls for heavy goods vehicles. Eleven countries apply distance-based charges using satellite positioning (GNSS) or roadside radio beacons (DSRC), with enforcement measures including cameras. Six countries use time-based vignettes, purchased for a fixed period ranging from one day to one year, regardless of distance travelled. Seven rely on toll plazas, with charges determined by the route taken. Toll-free roads and concession-based systems will continue to exist in the coming years, but Directive 2022/362, which revised the Eurovignette rules, prohibits time-based vignettes for heavy goods vehicles on the core Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) from March 2030, except in justified cases.
Distance-based tolls can include four components: infrastructure, air pollution, noise and CO2. The air pollution component, differentiated according to the vehicle's Euro emissions standard, became mandatory on EU toll roads on 25 March 2026, subject to certain exemptions, while the noise component remains optional. The CO2 charge depends on the vehicle's emissions class, ranging from class 1, the most expensive, to class 5, reserved for zero-emission vehicles. Before 2026, nine countries included CO2 in their tolls. Bulgaria followed in June, introducing an increase of around 17% for a high-weight Euro VI vehicle, while the Netherlands and Flanders introduced the component in July. From 1 July, Germany also tightened the thresholds for CO2 classes in line with revised European reference values. As a result, the same vehicle may be moved into a less favourable class and face higher charges even if the underlying tariff structure remains unchanged.
According to the IRU, checking toll rates and payment arrangements just once a year, in January, is no longer sufficient, although that month still accounted for the usual inflation-related adjustments, generally ranging from 1% to 5%. Austria recorded an increase of 7.7%, almost entirely attributable to the CO2 component. Poland raised its toll rates in two stages, bringing them to around 40% above 2025 levels, and added 645 kilometres to its tolled road network. The Czech Republic, Latvia and Slovakia also expanded their toll networks. Some countries moved in the opposite direction: Hungary cancelled a planned March increase on main roads, Slovakia kept its rates unchanged, while Portugal and Spain abolished tolls on certain roads.
In the Netherlands, where distance-based tolling began on 1 July, all rates were reduced by 22.3% from September to December to offset the sharp rise in fuel costs. Full rates will return on 1 January 2027, together with a further 2.6% increase. For a Euro VI vehicle with a gross weight exceeding 32 tonnes in CO2 class 1, the rate will rise from €0.156 to €0.206 per kilometre, adding around €500 to the toll bill for every 10,000 kilometres driven on tolled roads. Romania also introduced a distance-based system on 1 October. TollRo replaced the vignette for goods vehicles above 3.5 tonnes. A Euro VI vehicle weighing at least 12 tonnes pays 0.48 lei per kilometre on motorways, approximately €0.10 at the exchange rate indicated by the IRU, with the charge halved on national roads. On-board units and the European Electronic Toll Service (EETS), which allows operators to pay tolls in several countries using a single device, will become available on 15 January 2027. Until then, payment is made through a route ticket or an app.
In Lithuania, 2027 will begin with the launch of the Via Toll system on 1 January, incorporating a CO2 component. The average rate for a Euro VI vehicle exceeding 12 tonnes with up to three axles will be €0.111 per kilometre. Assuming traffic volumes remain broadly unchanged, annual revenue is expected to rise from €70 million to €110 million. According to the IRU, operators facing the largest average increases will be those engaged in long-distance transit traffic. On the same day, Slovakia intends to bring toll collection back under state control. Vehicles equipped with SkyToll on-board units will have to switch to a new national device or an EETS provider. However, the replacement procedure has yet to be published, and Slovakia's Court of Auditors has described the deadline as risky.
In eastern France, distance-based tolling will apply to vehicles exceeding 3.5 tonnes. In Alsace, R-Pass will cover approximately 200 kilometres from 1 January 2027, with rates ranging from €0.07 to €0.34 per kilometre. The rest of the Grand Est region has announced a charge covering around 525 kilometres from 1 April, although the details have yet to be finalised. On 1 March, Croatia will replace toll plazas with free-flow detection gantries and make an electronic tolling device or on-board unit mandatory for all goods vehicles. In the same month, Sweden will extend its vignette system to goods vehicles exceeding 3.5 tonnes.
Two proposed changes to European tolling systems have not yet become law: Denmark's extension of distance-based tolling to vehicles exceeding 3.5 tonnes, often presented as a settled decision, and the CO2 and air pollution components included in a Polish draft measure. In Germany, a new road cost study covering 2028–2032 will provide the basis for new toll legislation, marking the first revision of rates since July 2024. The IRU also draws attention to on-board equipment used for electronic toll payment. French mobile network operators will shut down their 2G networks by the end of 2026, followed by German operators in 2028. New tolling domains will not support this technology, meaning that 2G on-board units will need to be replaced in good time.
Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg and Sweden still use time-based vignettes for heavy goods vehicles. With the ban on this system due to take effect in 2030, and given that developing a distance-based tolling system takes several years, the IRU believes decisions must be made now. Finally, from mid-2031, EU Member States will no longer be allowed to grant complete toll exemptions to zero-emission heavy goods vehicles. Instead, these vehicles will be entitled to reductions of between 50% and 75%.
Pietro Rossoni
