Federal government reaches agreement on lorry toll
Key points: Greater cost transparency, one-time suspension of HGV toll valorisation for infrastructure component, and improved planning reliability when switching to electric lorries.
The federal government has agreed on a comprehensive package of measures for the future design of the HGV toll. This will improve cost transparency on the roads, enhance ecological steering effects, and secure long-term financing of road infrastructure. At the same time, the transport sector will gain better planning reliability when transition to electric lorries.
Minister of Transport Peter Hanke commented: “I welcome the agreement reached today – with the toll package, we are creating greater cost transparency on the roads, better planning reliability for the transport sector in the transition to electric HGVs, and simultaneously putting infrastructure financing on a more sustainable footing. The agreement offers not only a clear future perspective for the industry but also brings an important steering effect in terms of CO2 emission reduction. In my view, an agreement could have been reached even before today's HGV blockade in Vienna, given the good basis for talks and constructive negotiations.”
Increased cost transparency on the roads
A central element is the increased imposition of external costs for air pollution, noise pollution and CO2 emissions for heavy vehicles amounting to 42 million euros. This makes the actual burden caused by road traffic more transparently depicted and distributed fairly with respect to the polluters. In light of the challenging economic situation, the tariffs for imposing infrastructure costs will not be valorised for the year 2026. The steering effect of the CO2 tariffs remains unaffected.
Planning reliability for the transport sector
There is an important development for the transport and logistics department: The discount rule for emission-free vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, currently at 75 percent, will now be clearly regulated until 2030. This gives companies a reliable framework for investments in a climate-friendly vehicle fleet. The Ministry of Transport is supporting the transition to emissions-free lorries this year with approximately 80 million euros in the context of the E-Mobility Program "eMove Austria".
The prices for vignettes (vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes) will continue to be adjusted annually according to inflation, as stipulated by law. For the year 2026 this means an adjustment of 2.9 percent. This ensures the sustainable funding of the high-ranking road network by ASFINAG.