Annual road tax for passenger cars and similar vehicles

As soon as you register a new or second-hand vehicle (passenger cars or similar) at the Vehicle Registration Service (Dienst voor Inschrijving van Voertuigen/DIV) you have to pay an annual road tax.

The category ‘passenger cars and similar vehicles’ includes the following cars:

• passenger cars
• dual purpose cars (transport of people and goods)
• minibuses
• ambulances
• motorcycles (including tricycles and quadricycles)
• small trucks (maximum authorised weight: 3,500 kg)
• trailers, boat trailers and camping trailers (caravans) from 750 kg to 3,500 kg
• camping cars (mobile homes)
• vehicles with a transit or temporary vehicle licence plate.

After the registration of your new or second-hand passenger car or a similar vehicle at the DIV, the DIV will automatically inform the Flemish Tax Service.

• You automatically receive a tax sheet, each year as long as your vehicle is registered.
• You pay your tax starting from the first day of the month during which you registered your vehicle. As soon as you decide to scrap your licence plate, you will no longer have to pay the vehicle road tax starting from the first day of the month of scrapping. In this way, annual road tax is always calculated as x/12^th of the yearly amount.

If you think your annual road tax is incorrect (e.g. calculation), you can file a complaint (in Dutch).

You can calculate the amount of the annual road tax through the online simulator (in Dutch)(opens in new window) or the online application of the Flemish Tax Service. The amount provided by the simulation is strictly indicative and may differ from the official amount.

The amount of the annual road tax is:

• indexed annually on July 1^st
• based on the power (kW-kilowatt), the euronorm and the CO2-emissions of the vehicle.

Since 1 July 2017, small trucks, hearses and tractors of an MMA of less than or equal to 3,500 kg which are not leasing vehicles, also have to pay a green annual road tax. It is not possible to calculate the amount of this tax online at the moment.

Depending on the vehicle type or on the activity of the vehicle, you may be entitled to a reduction of the annual road tax. Some reductions are automatically allocated, but others you need to apply for.

Type of reduction:

• Flat discount for LPG vehicles (since tax year 2016) (in Dutch): a flat discount is automatically allocated for certain light vehicles (excluding light trucks or vans).

In some cases, you are entitled to an exemption from the annual road tax.

The following vehicles are exempted from the annual road tax:

• electric vehicles and hydrogen vehicles (in Dutch)
• plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and natural gas vehicles (CNG/LPG) (only applicable to cars registered until 31/12/2020)
• cars used as a personal means of transport by people with a certain disability and by severely war disabled people (in Dutch)
• occasional transport (in Dutch): under certain conditions, trucks (with or without trailer), tractors (with or without trailer), and light trucks which drive on public roads only occasionally can be exempted from annual road tax. For more information, contact the Flemish Tax Service.
• vehicles exported to an EEA state within 6 months (in Dutch).
• other exemptions (in Dutch)
  • vehicles that are only used for public services (the Postal Service, fire brigade, ambulances, army, etc.)
  • licenced taxis
  • motorcycles registered at the DIV with an engine size lower than 251 cc
  • agricultural vehicles exclusively used for agricultural work