Rosenheim, 29 November 2023. The lorry toll has been in force in Germany since 2005, and in 2023 the SPD, FDP and Green coalition government linked it to CO2 emissions in order to accelerate the switch to climate-neutral drive systems in road freight transport as well. A further reform will come into force on 1 July 2024, which will mean that vehicles with a gross weight of 3.5 tonnes or more - instead of the previous 7.5 tonnes - will also be charged. Many motorhomes also fall into this category. The uncertainty among many campers is therefore great.
The Rosenheim-based start-up maut1.de, provider of digital toll boxes for cars, motorhomes and lorries for several European countries, is reassuring. "Motorhomes are exempt from the decision to reduce the weight of the toll," explains Managing Director Julian Schmelzer.
Around 160,000 motorhomes with a total weight of over 3.5 t and up to 7.5 t are registered in Germany, some of which could be affected by the new toll obligation from the next summer holiday due to their special type of body - particularly those based on lorries or buses.
„However, most of these motorhomes are already clearly recognisable as motorhomes by the toll control systems installed or random checks carried out and therefore remain toll-free without any bureaucratic effort," says Schmelzer.
According to information from the Federal Office of Logistics and Mobility (BALM), the new toll obligation for vehicles weighing 3.5 tonnes or more will continue to apply to all vehicles that meet the following criteria:
- Permanently installed living facilities (e.g. toilet/shower, living room/beds or cooking facilities)
- Exclusively passenger transport and no transport of goodsExclusively passenger transport and no transport of goods
- Or subsequent permanent conversion to a motorhome (e.g. lorry with box body).
For all differently constructed motorhomes, e.g. with a specific area for loading (transport of horses/cows or a garage in the rear for small vehicles) or trailers for transport, the available "living area" (with permanently installed toilet/shower, living room/beds or cooking facilities) must make up at least 50% of the total usable area of the vehicle. And: it may only be used for private journeys. In borderline cases, it makes sense as an option to check and have the registration changed from a lorry to a motorhome.
Which legal bases lead to the new toll charges?
The background to the new adjustment to the calculation of toll rates are both updated EU requirements and the so-called infrastructure cost report from the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport Affairs. According to the so-called "Eurovignette Directive", the lorry toll must in future also be based on the costs for the construction, operation, maintenance and expansion of transport routes. The new regulation of toll charges therefore primarily serves to cover the costs of the increasing financing requirements of the transport infrastructure.
Which routes are subject to the lorry toll?
In accordance with Section 1 of the Federal Trunk Road Toll Act, all motor vehicles and vehicle combinations with a gross vehicle weight of 7.5 tonnes or more from Germany and abroad are currently subject to tolls. The toll charges are levied as soon as the vehicle enters a federal trunk road and apply to both federal roads and motorways as well as the adjacent service stations and rest areas. From July 2024, the HGV toll will be extended to all vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. Craftsmen's vehicles over 3.5 tonnes but under 7.5 tonnes will be exempt from the new toll, as will motorhomes.
Further information is available at https://www.maut1.de/en/help-and-service/maut1.de-blog/motorhome-toll/.
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