Belgium plans road toll sticker for all cars from 2027, with electric vehicles cheapest

Pricing tied to emissions and vehicle type

Short-term tariffs ranging from a single day up to two months will also be offered, alongside the annual option. The toll sticker will be available for purchase via an electronic platform and at gas stations, according to the plans. Compliance with the toll is to be checked using cameras, and violations are to be punished with a fine of 70 euros.

Motorcycles and touring buses are among the vehicles to be exempted from the toll. The road toll will apply to all cars, regardless of whether they are registered in Belgium or abroad. Revenue from the toll is to be used for the maintenance of the road network.

Officials frame the toll as a question of fairness

Desquesnes framed the measure as a question of fairness. "Jeder, der unsere Straßen nutzt, muss einen fairen Beitrag zu deren Unterhalt leisten," he said, according to Belga. Flemish Finance Minister Ben Weyts added that drivers from his region also have to pay fees in other European countries, a point that informed his support for the plan.

The regions and European authorities still need to decide on the final introduction of the fee. Belgium plans to introduce a toll sticker for foreign and domestic vehicles starting in May 2027, though one fact in the reporting notes the road toll is planned to take effect in January, leaving the precise start date subject to further negotiation.

Open question of vehicle tax reform

It remains unclear whether and how Belgian car drivers will be relieved through a reform of the vehicle tax. The question of how to offset the new charge for domestic motorists has been a recurring sticking point in European debates over road pricing.

Lessons from Germany's failed toll

Germany's push for a passenger car toll in 2019 also failed over the question of compensating drivers via vehicle tax reform. The German car toll was a prestige project of the CSU party and was ruled unlawful by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in 2019. The central sticking point in the German toll case was that only domestic drivers were to be fully relieved via the vehicle tax.

Belgian officials will be watching that precedent closely as they draft the final legislation. The agreement on the toll sticker was reported by the Belgian news agency Belga, and the news was broadcast on Deutschlandfunk on 10 July 2026.

For foreign drivers, the change means a new line item on any trip through Belgium. For Belgian drivers, the change introduces a recurring annual cost tied to emissions and vehicle type, with the prospect of a compensating tax reform still unresolved.

The plan stops short of the kilometre-based charging systems used in some neighbouring countries. Instead, Belgium has opted for a time-based vignette, similar in structure to the toll stickers already familiar to drivers in Austria and Switzerland.

Exemptions and enforcement

The exemption list, which includes motorcycles and tourist buses, reflects an effort to shield vehicles that contribute relatively little wear to road surfaces. The decision to use cameras for enforcement suggests authorities expect a high volume of transactions and a need for automated checks.

The 70-euro fine for violations is set at a level intended to deter non-payment without being disproportionate. Combined with the camera-based enforcement, the system is designed to make evasion difficult for both occasional visitors and regular commuters.

The agreement among the three regions is a notable step in a country where transport policy has often been fragmented along linguistic and regional lines. Final approval of the draft by the regions and European authorities is still pending, and the timeline for implementation could shift as the legislative process continues.

If approved, the toll would mark the end of Belgium's long-standing status as one of the few Western European countries without a nationwide road charge for passenger vehicles. The revenues from the toll are intended to co-finance road maintenance, addressing a funding gap that has grown as vehicle technology and traffic patterns have evolved.