From July 1, CO2 emissions from vehicles will be taken into account when calculating the kilometer charge for trucks in Flanders. The more environmentally friendly the truck, the lower the rate. This has been announced by Viapass, the body that coordinates the kilometer charge in Belgium.
This rate change aligns with European requirements and aims to encourage the greening of the vehicle fleet further. Countries such as Germany, Austria, and Denmark already apply this regulation.
Currently only in Flanders
Currently, the tax, introduced in April 2016 for trucks weighing more than 3.5 tons, depends on the vehicle’s weight, the Euro standard, and the region where the vehicle is driven.
From July, Flanders will add a new parameter: the CO2 emission class. Wallonia and the Brussels region have not yet introduced the CO2 surcharge, but they are likely to follow suit in the long term, as European rules will ultimately require it.
The new emission classes range from 1 to 5. Class 1 trucks emit the most carbon dioxide, while class 5 is reserved exclusively for zero-emission vehicles (ZEV).
As a result, rates in Flanders vary from €0.010 per km for a light zero-emission truck to €0.395 for the heaviest and most polluting trucks in the Euro 0 standard. Vehicles registered for the first time before July 1, 2019, automatically fall into the first class.
Transporters must register their vehicles’ emission class themselves in their On Board Unit (OBU). To determine the correct class, Viapass will launch a calculation model on its website in April. Users must update their devices before July 1.
An estimated additional amount of €250 million
Every working day, an average of 150,000 vehicles subject to the kilometer charge travel on the roads of the Flemish and Brussels-Capital Region, as well as on those managed by SOFICO in the Walloon Region.
Flanders not only uses the charge as an active means of steering the transport sector toward greener practices but also counts on it to generate additional revenue for road maintenance and mobility.
For 2027, this amount is estimated at 250 million euros. In 2024, the Flemish government generated approximately 658 million euros in revenue from the kilometer charge.
Emissions from the transport sector have increased
According to the most recent data (2024-2025) from the Transition Barometer of the Federal Public Service Health & Environment, the transport sector is responsible for approximately 25% of Belgium’s total greenhouse gas emissions. By way of comparison, in 1990 this figure was only 14.4%.
Data from the Flemish Environment Agency (VMM) shows that transport accounts for approximately 60% of nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions in the region.
