e-TOLL: the charge for lorry journeys will also depend on CO2 emissions
Draft act UC74 splits the e-TOLL charge into three parts and adds five CO2 emission classes. An EURO standard alone will no longer secure lower rates.
The Ministry of Infrastructure is preparing major changes to road charges that could hit older fleets hard. Under the draft act (UC74), the rules for calculating charges in the e-TOLL system will change fundamentally.
What the UC74 draft changes
- New structure: the charge will be split into 3 parts. The existing infrastructure charge will be joined by costs linked to air pollution and a new charge based on CO2 emissions.
- Five emission classes: lorries will be assigned to one of 5 new CO2 classes. The allocation depends, among other things, on the date of first registration and the vehicle's individual emissions.
- No permanent classes: an emission class is not assigned for ever. Vehicles in classes 2 and 3 will be reclassified compulsorily every 6 years.
- Strict checks: KAS will examine vehicle documents and the CEPiK database to verify that the data is correct.
When the changes will take effect
The principle is simple: the cleaner the lorry, the lower the cost of the journey. Zero-emission vehicles will receive the largest reductions. The act is not due to take effect until the third quarter of 2026, and there are still no specific per-kilometre rates, but hauliers already need to plan the future of their fleets.
We explain in more detail what the new rules mean for fleet costs in an article on our blog (in Polish).
Is making charges dependent on CO2 a step in the right direction for the environment, or a death sentence for smaller haulage firms?