This guide explains exactly how the system works, who must pay, what it costs, how to register an OBU before the deadline, and how to pre-calculate your NL toll costs today with IMPARGO.
Netherlands Truck Toll: Key Dates and Timeline
What Is the Vrachtwagenheffing?
The vrachtwagenheffing is the Netherlands' new kilometre-based truck toll, starting July 1, 2026. It replaces the flat annual or weekly Eurovignette with a charge calculated per kilometre driven, scaled to how polluting and how heavy each truck is. The system is managed and enforced by the RDW (Netherlands Vehicle Authority).
The toll has two primary goals: making road use pay-per-use — fairer for all road users — and accelerating the shift to lower-emission freight vehicles by making cleaner trucks financially cheaper to operate.
Key facts about the Dutch truck toll
- Official name: vrachtwagenheffing — also called the Dutch HGV distance charge or kilometre-based truck toll
- Applies to vehicle categories N2 and N3 (trucks over 3,500 kg)
- Replaces the Eurovignette for NL roads entirely from July 1, 2026
- Calculated per kilometre based on weight, Euro class, and CO₂ efficiency category
Who Must Pay the Netherlands Truck Toll?
The vrachtwagenheffing applies to every truck driving on Dutch toll roads from July 1, 2026 — domestic and foreign-registered alike.
Vehicles subject to the toll
- Any truck with a technical maximum mass over 3,500 kg
- Both Dutch-registered and foreign-registered trucks using Dutch roads
- Find your vehicle category on the registration certificate under the letter 'J'
Exemptions
- Zero-emission vehicles up to 4,250 kg
- Police, fire, and military vehicles (dispensation required)
- Historic trucks 40 years or older (dispensation required — applications open from 1 April 2026 at vrachtwagenheffing.nl; only the official RDW site is genuine, beware fake dispensation sites that charge fees)
Where Does the Truck Toll Apply in the Netherlands?
The vrachtwagenheffing applies on:
- Almost all Dutch motorways (snelwegen)
- A defined selection of important provincial and municipal roads
The inclusion of secondary roads is deliberate — it prevents operators from evading the toll by taking detours. The official road map and full list of toll roads are published and regularly updated at vrachtwagenheffing.nl.
How Much Is the Truck Toll in the Netherlands?
Your rate per kilometre depends on three factors — the same three data points you will need when registering with a provider. The figures below are the official tariffs at price level 2026; the fleet-weighted average is €0.191/km.
What determines your toll rate?
- Technical maximum mass — the vehicle's gross weight class
- CO₂ efficiency category (1–5) — 1 is the most polluting; 5 is near-zero-emission
- Euro emission class (0–6+) — required only for CO₂ Class 1 vehicles
CO₂ Emission Class 1 — Rate Table (EUR/km)
CO₂ Emission Classes 2–5 — Rate Table (EUR/km)
Real-world cost example
Temporary Measures for the Second Half of 2026
Two time-limited reliefs run alongside the launch, and both revert on 1 January 2027. For anyone budgeting 2026, this is the most decision-relevant detail in this guide.
CO₂ Class 1 — Discounted Rates, 1 Sept–31 Dec 2026 (EUR/km)
Calculate Netherlands Truck Toll Costs with IMPARGO
IMPARGO users can pre-calculate Netherlands truck toll costs directly inside the platform — by route, truck weight, and emission class. No spreadsheet. No manual rate lookup. Seconds, not minutes.
What the NL Toll Comparison feature does
- Route-based toll estimation — enter any NL route and see your expected vrachtwagenheffing cost instantly
- Automatic rate application — rates apply based on your truck's registered weight class, Euro class, and CO₂ category
- Before/after comparison — see Eurovignette cost vs. the new per-km model side by side per route
- Fleet-level planning — model the cost impact across multiple trucks and routes before the system goes live
Automated toll calculation is one of many smart logistics tools in IMPARGO's all-in-one Transport Management System (TMS) — built for carriers, shippers, and freight forwarders who need to stay compliant and in control of transport costs across Europe.
No setup cost. → Book a free demo with a TMS expert
How to Pay the Toll: OBU Registration and Providers
Every truck driving in the Netherlands from July 1, 2026 must have a valid On-Board Unit (OBU) — also called a tolkastje. The OBU uses satellite GPS to track kilometres driven on toll roads and transmits the data to your provider, who settles the toll on your behalf. The OBU must remain active at all times when the truck is in use, including on non-toll roads.
Steps to register before July 1, 2026
Approved OBU providers (as of June 2026)
How Is the Vrachtwagenheffing Enforced?
The OBU tracks your route via satellite GPS. Your provider calculates the toll amount and sends the data to the Dutch authorities. Enforcement is active from day one — July 1, 2026. It is led by the ILT (Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport) for roadside checks, with the RDW acting as toll charger and the CJIB collecting fines.
Enforcement methods used:
- Around 61 fixed gantries with cameras and OBU readers across motorways and N-roads
- Mobile enforcement units on the road network
- On-the-spot inspections of vehicles in transit (persistent non-payers can be physically stopped until payment)
Fines and penalties
You may be fined if you have no valid contract with an approved provider, your OBU is missing, switched off, or faulty, or the OBU is registered to a different truck. For the first six months (until 1 January 2027) the fines are halved:
- No provider contract: €400 (then €800)
- OBU switched off, faulty, or registered to another vehicle: €250 (then €500)
A maximum of one fine applies per 24-hour period, but an unresolved breach can be fined every day.
What Happens to the Eurovignette and Motor Vehicle Tax?
Two existing charges change when the vrachtwagenheffing goes live on July 1, 2026:
Eurovignette (tolheffingsrecht)
- Discontinued for the Netherlands on July 1, 2026
- Still required if your routes pass through Luxembourg or Sweden. (Denmark already left the Eurovignette on 1 January 2025, so once the Netherlands exits, Luxembourg and Sweden are the remaining Eurovignette countries.)
MRB — Motorrijtuigenbelasting (Dutch motor vehicle tax)
- Temporary 0% nihiltarief for all trucks from 1 July to 31 December 2026
- From 1 January 2027: structurally abolished for trucks up to 12,000 kg (category N2) and reduced to the EU minimum for trucks over 12,000 kg (category N3)
The MRB change partially offsets the new toll costs for most operators — but the net impact varies significantly by route frequency and truck type. Pre-calculating by route is the only way to know your exact exposure.
What Subsidies Are Available for Sustainable Trucks?
A substantial portion of vrachtwagenheffing revenue is reinvested in greening Dutch freight transport (the "terugsluis"). Operators investing in cleaner vehicles can access direct financial support.
Programs funded by toll revenue:
- Subsidies for purchasing electric and hydrogen trucks
- Support for charging and hydrogen-fuelling infrastructure
- CO₂ scans and fleet efficiency planning tools
Key subsidy programs — apply via RVO:
- AanZET — purchase subsidy for zero-emission trucks; the first 2026 round opened 27 January with a €78 million budget (oversubscribed on day one), and a second round runs 29 September–16 October 2026
- RVO logistics support — for carriers and freight forwarders investing in sustainable operations
Funding allocated:
- Over €253 million available in 2026, funded from toll revenue
- Part of a >€1.6 billion reinvestment programme for 2026–2030, of which roughly €1.4 billion targets truck electrification
How to Pre-Calculate Your NL Toll Costs Before July 2026
The shift from a flat Eurovignette to a per-km model means every route now has a different cost profile. Carriers and freight forwarders who calculate their exposure now can update customer quotes, adjust pricing models, and plan fleet decisions before the July 1 deadline.
With IMPARGO you can:
- Calculate Netherlands toll costs automatically — by route, truck weight, and emission class
- Plan optimised truck routes across Europe with HGV-specific restrictions and toll awareness
- Model full transport costs including fuel, driver hours, tolls, and surcharges in one view
- Track drivers and deliveries in real time across your fleet
- Manage your full transport operation from a single cloud platform — no setup cost
Frequently Asked Questions — Netherlands Truck Toll 2026
What is vrachtwagenheffing?
Vrachtwagenheffing is the Netherlands' new kilometre-based truck toll, starting July 1, 2026. It applies to all trucks over 3,500 kg and replaces the flat Eurovignette for Dutch roads. The toll is calculated per kilometre driven, based on vehicle weight, Euro emission class, and CO₂ efficiency category.
How much is the truck toll in the Netherlands?
Rates range from €0.025/km (light, zero-emission vehicle, CO₂ Class 5) to €0.487/km (heavy Euro 0 truck, CO₂ Class 1), with a fleet-weighted average of €0.191/km. A typical Euro 6 truck over 32,000 kg pays €0.197–€0.201/km. A temporary 22.3% discount applies to all rates from 1 September to 31 December 2026 (cutting the average to about €0.148/km). Use IMPARGO's NL toll calculator for exact route-based estimates.
Is there a temporary discount on the toll?
Yes. All toll rates are cut by 22.3% from 1 September to 31 December 2026, and the Dutch motor vehicle tax (MRB) is set to 0% for all trucks from 1 July to 31 December 2026. Both revert on 1 January 2027, when indexed regular tariffs and the structural MRB change take effect.
Do foreign trucks pay the toll in the Netherlands?
Yes. The vrachtwagenheffing applies to all trucks over 3,500 kg using Dutch toll roads, regardless of where the truck is registered.
Is the Eurovignette still valid after July 1, 2026?
Not for Dutch roads. The Eurovignette is discontinued in the Netherlands on July 1, 2026. It remains required for routes through Luxembourg and Sweden (Denmark left the Eurovignette in January 2025).
Which OBU providers work in the Netherlands?
As of June 2026, approved providers are: NedLinq (NL-only, no extra services), AS24/TotalEnergies (first EETS provider approved by RDW), Telepass, Toll4Europe, Axxès and Tolltickets (both admitted 8 June 2026), and Eurowag (admitted 12 June 2026). Note: Tollcollect (Germany) and Satellic (Belgium) OBUs are not compatible with the Dutch system.
Does my OBU need to be switched on even off toll roads?
Yes. The OBU must remain active whenever the truck is in use — including on roads not subject to the toll.
What if my OBU breaks down?
Contact your provider immediately. Most providers have service points where you can collect a replacement OBU. Driving without a functioning OBU can result in a fine.
Is the vrachtwagenheffing GDPR-compliant?
Yes. Only the trip data necessary for toll calculation is recorded and shared with Dutch authorities. The system is managed by RDW.
Can I calculate Netherlands toll costs before July 2026?
Yes. IMPARGO's NL Toll Comparison feature is available now. Enter your route and truck specs to get an estimated toll cost in seconds — before the system goes live.
