Environmentally friendly electric trucks will not have to pay tolls on Germany's Autobahns in the coming years either. The Bundestag extended late in the evening the toll exemption that was due to expire at the end of the year until 30 June 2031. The regulation, with which emission-free trucks in long-haul road transport had been subsidized to date and which came into force in December 2023, continues to apply.
New toll-collection approaches
Parallel to the extension of the exemption,
the MPs decided an innovation in the toll system: going forward, recording the toll obligation will no longer necessarily take place via onboard units installed in the vehicle, but can alternatively be done via an app on a mobile device. This change was explicitly anchored in the draft for a “Fourth Act to Amend Toll-Related Provisions.”
Framework conditions and fleet development
The Environment Ministry describes the decision as “reliable framework conditions” that are meant to flank the shift to
electric commercial vehicles. According to the ministry, there are currently around 100,000 commercial vehicles with electric motors registered in Germany – predominantly in short- and medium-haul traffic. A 40-tonne electric truck saves about 35 cents per kilometer compared with its diesel variant.
European context
The measure follows a proposal by the European Commission dated 24 June 2025, which the European Parliament adopted on 7 October of the same year. Germany is incorporating this directive into national legislation. The lead
for the corresponding changes lies with the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure.
Significance for road freight transport
The transport sector gains with the extended exemption a calculable basis for planning: electric trucks remain toll-exempt until mid-2031. In addition, the toll system will be made more flexible, which could affect procedures and operations. At the same time, the data available from the Environment Ministry indicates a notable number of electric commercial vehicles already in traffic – signaling investment
