Do I have to pay road tax for an electric car?
The road tax – also referred to as motor vehicle tax (MRB) by the tax authorities – is charged as soon as a car younger than 40 years old is registered in the name of a private person or company.
The amount of the road tax is based on the type of vehicle, the type of fuel, the weight of the car and the province where the owner of the car is registered. You can choose whether you pay the road tax per month, per quarter or per year.
Road tax electric car
The government is encouraging as many people as possible to get rid of their petrol or diesel cars and to switch to an environmentally friendly electric car. To make the switch extra attractive, you do not have to pay road tax for an electric car (or a hydrogen car).
But beware: this won’t last long. The exemption from road tax for electric cars will last until at the end of 2024, after which the exemption will be phased out.
From 1 January 2025 you will pay a quarter of the normal rate and from 2026 you will no longer receive a discount at all. Then you pay the full MRB rate for an electric car. As it looks, the MRB rates of electric cars will be aligned with those of a petrol car.
ALSO READ: What tax benefits are there for electric cars?
Road tax hybrid and plug-in hybrid
There are no different road tax rates for hybrid cars and plug-in hybrids. You do get a 50% discount on the road tax if the car emits between 1 and 50 grams of CO2/km. In practice, these are only plug-in hybrids.
This 50% discount is still valid until the end of 2024. With effect from 2025, that discount will decrease to 25% and from 2026 you will pay the full MRB rate.
Road tax hybrid and plug-in hybrid delivery van
Different rules apply with regard to road tax for a hybrid and plug-in hybrid delivery van. When calculating the road tax, the vehicle weight is reduced by 125 kg, so that the delivery van falls into a lower weight class and you therefore pay less road tax. In this way, the higher weight due to the heavy hybrid system is compensated.
