Since September 2025, higher prices for the time-based road toll "Rovinieta" apply in Romania. For trucks with four or more axles, the annual price according to the government is now 1,425 euros instead of previously 1,210 euros. Vehicles between 7.5 and 12 tonnes pay 670 euros annually, an increase of 560 euros. Violations of the vignette requirement will be punished more severely. The minimum fine corresponds to twice the annual price, while the maximum is set at four times and can reach up to 5,600 euros.
Introduction of a kilometer-based system
Parallel to this, Romania is preparing the introduction of the new electronic toll system TollRo. This system is intended to
replace the current vignette for commercial vehicles and to be based on a distance-based calculation. It applies to all vehicles with a gross vehicle weight exceeding 3.5 tonnes. Motorways, expressways, European national roads, as well as other supra-regional transport routes outside urban areas will be included.
The toll amount depends on weight class and emission standard, according to the Ministry of Transport. A tariff published in the draft proposes three euro cents per kilometre for a Euro-VI truck over 12 tonnes. This amount includes both infrastructure costs and surcharges for air and noise pollution.
Impact on transport costs
Calculations show that a Euro-VI truck with an annual mileage of 100,000 kilometres
on tolled roads would have to pay around 1,575 euros more than with the previous annual vignette amounting to 1,425 euros. Vehicles with Romanian registration, which are predominantly used abroad and travel less than 50,000 kilometres per year on domestic roads, could, by contrast, benefit from savings.
Timeline and technical implementation
The introduction of TollRo was originally planned for 1 January 2026. Due to the duration of the procurement process for the central IT system, the government has, however, moved the start date to 1 July 2026. The contract for the core system, which is to undertake vehicle registration, data processing, invoicing and control, was awarded in March 2025.
Tax framework
In addition to the toll reform, Romania adjusted the value-added tax on 1 August 2025. The standard rate rose from 19 to 21 percent. The previously reduced rates of five and nine percent were merged into a single rate of eleven percent, which now applies only to selected goods and services.
Outlook for carriers
With TollRo, Romania is aligning its road usage fees with the European principle of "the polluter pays." For transport companies, this means a fundamental shift in cost calculation. The initially comparatively low per-kilometre prices can only be a strategic first step and could be adjusted at a later date to the level of neighboring countries Bulgaria and
