Road Tax

Vehicle tax is calculated based on the license plate number. Vehicle tax costs can vary by province. This is due to provincial surcharges. Provincial surcharges are the portion of the vehicle tax that goes to the provinces. Each year, the provinces set their own rates for these surcharges. However, there is a specific maximum limit. As a result, tax costs can sometimes vary significantly from province to province.

When are you exempt from paying vehicle tax?

Cars that are more than 40 years old are exempt from motor vehicle tax. Your vehicle must have been first put into service at least 40 years ago. You will then automatically receive an exemption for your classic car. If the exemption is not applied automatically, but you are entitled to it, you can fill out the “Request for Motor Vehicle Tax Exemption” form on the Tax and Customs Administration’s website. If you register a car that is 40 years old or older in your name, you will automatically be exempt from road tax.

Which cars have low road tax?

If you’re looking for a car with low road tax, your best bet is to consider a gasoline-powered car. Gasoline-powered cars have the lowest road tax, followed by LPG, and then diesel. In addition, the heavier the car, the higher the road tax. A light car has much lower road tax than a large, heavy car.

When is the vehicle tax deducted?

You can pay your vehicle tax in two ways: monthly or quarterly. If you pay your vehicle tax monthly, it will be automatically debited from your account around the^18th of each month. If you choose to pay quarterly, payment is made via a payment slip. The payment slip shows the amount you must pay and the payment due date.

Why do you pay vehicle tax?

There are two reasons why you, as a vehicle owner, must pay road tax. We’ve already mentioned the first reason: the government uses road tax to maintain Dutch roads. For example, this allows them to fund repairs to the road surface. They also use it to further expand the road network. This ultimately leads to better infrastructure, from which you, as a road user, also benefit. The second reason for paying road tax is the environment. Motor vehicles are, of course, harmful to the environment, particularly due to their emissions. That is why the government is trying to encourage hybrid and electric driving by exempting vehicles with low CO2 emissions from paying road tax.

Calculate Road Tax

As soon as a car’s license plate is registered in your name, you are required to pay road tax. You do not need to file a separate tax return for this. As soon as the vehicle is registered in your name, the Tax Authority automatically receives the necessary information from the RDW. Several factors are taken into account when calculating road tax, such as the type of motor vehicle you own, the vehicle’s weight and fuel type, how environmentally harmful the car is, and the province in which you live.

Car Road Tax

You must pay vehicle tax if a motor vehicle is registered in your name. This applies from the moment the vehicle is registered in your name—that is, as soon as the license plate has been transferred. From that moment on, you are officially the owner of the car.  In the Netherlands, we pay road tax based on car ownership, not on the number of kilometers driven. This means that someone who drives a lot does not pay more road tax than someone who drives only occasionally.

Hybrid Vehicle Tax

There are two types of hybrid cars: plug-in hybrid cars and conventional hybrid cars.  Conventional hybrid cars aren’t much more fuel-efficient than gasoline-powered cars. That’s why the tax benefit applies only to plug-in hybrid cars. Owners of a plug-in hybrid receive a 50% discount on vehicle registration tax. This discount on vehicle registration tax is valid through 2024. In 2025, the discount will be reduced to 25%, and the benefit will end in 2026. This applies not only to plug-in hybrid cars, but also to motorcycles and vans.

Change Road Tax Account Number

You can change the bank account from which your vehicle tax is deducted via direct debit by calling the Tax Hotline at 0800 – 0749. There, you can request an authorization form for direct debit from your new bank account. Fill out this form and send it to the Tax and Customs Administration. Once the Tax Authority has processed the change, you will receive confirmation. It takes approximately 3 weeks for the authorization to be processed. Therefore, the road tax may still be debited from your old account number one more time before then.