Degradation of CO₂ Emission Class CO2
The Czech Republic introduced a new component of toll charges on March 1, 2024, which takes into account CO₂ emissions produced by vehicles registered in the Electronic Toll System. By implementing directive of the European Parliament and of the Council (EU) 2022/362, a new toll component has been introduced to recover the costs caused by CO₂ emissions created by vehicles operating on toll roads in the Czech Republic.
According to an EU directive, the assigned CO₂ emission class of the vehicles is reassessed every six years. This process is part of the EU’s broader efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet climate goals.
In practice, this means that vehicles in CO₂ emission classes 2 and 3 are reassessed on the 6th anniversary of their first registration based on the table in Annex 3 of decree no. 470/2012. After six years from the vehicle's first use, the emission limits for the vehicle are those listed under the column date of first registration + 6 years.
Example:
A vehicle first put into service on July 5, 2019, in subgroup 4 LH with a specific CO₂ emission value of 96 g/tkm is currently in the toll system under CO₂ emission class no. 3. After six years from the vehicle's entry into service, the vehicle with this specific CO₂ emission value will automatically be reclassified into CO₂ emission class no. 1. (the specific emission value from the six-year anniversary will be compared with the valid limit values for vehicles first registered between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026.)
What does the reassessment of the CO₂ emission class mean for users of the toll system?
Users of the toll system do not need to take any action. The toll system already records all the necessary parameters for vehicles in CO₂ emission classes no. 2 and 3 to automatically assign them to the correct emission class. Users of vehicles affected by the change of the CO₂ emission class will be notified by email. After the change is made, the vehicle will be categorized with the newly set CO₂ emission class.
The first wave of CO₂ emission class degradation applies to vehicles first registered for service between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020, in the system with a registered CO₂ emission class no. 2 and 3.
