The Directive 1999/62/EC (Eurovignette Directive) is an EU-wide basis for the levying of road tolls. This new directive includes a new system for reducing CO₂ emissions, which aims to reduce the CO₂ footprint of transport. With a view to climate protection, road user charges must, therefore, be differentiated throughout the EU according to the CO₂ emission class of the vehicles.

The allocation of a vehicle to one of the five CO₂ emission classes is based on the date of initial registration, the vehicle subgroup and the specific CO₂ emission value.
To date, only the vehicle subgroups of vehicle groups 4, 5, 9 and 10 CO₂ reference values have been set, which decrease annually. Starting in 2019, there is a CO₂ emission reduction curve for each vehicle subgroup (reduction of 2.5%/year until 2025, 3.0%/year between 2026 and 2030). The reduction of the CO₂ reference value always takes place for the period 01.07-30.06. of the following year. The percentage deviation of the specific CO₂ emission value of the vehicle from the CO₂ reference value of the respective vehicle subgroup at the time of classification determines the CO₂ emission class of the vehicle. There is currently no CO₂ reference value for buses and motorhomes; these are automatically assigned to CO₂ emission class 1 – Exception: zero-emission vehicles are assigned to CO₂ emission class 5.

With the CO₂ emission class calculator you can determine the CO₂ emission class with just a few clicks.

The vehicles are categorised into various vehicle groups and vehicle subgroups. Until now, only vehicle groups 4, 5, 9 and 10 with their vehicle subgroups were defined. Vehicle group 4, for example, consists of three vehicle subgroups: 4UD (urban delivery), 4RD (regional delivery) and 4LH (long haul). Each vehicle subgroup has a specific operational profile, which differs according to axle and chassis configuration, engine power and cab type.

There are five CO₂ emission classes, with CO₂ emission class 1 being the worst and CO₂ emission class 5 being the best.

• CO₂ emission class 5 includes emission-free vehicles without an internal combustion engine (purely electric or hydrogen fuel cell drive) and vehicles with an internal combustion engine whose CO₂ emissions are less than 1 g CO₂/kWh or less than 1 g CO₂/km.
  
  
• Low-emission vehicles whose specific CO₂ emissions are more than 50% below the vehicle subgroup-specific CO₂ reference value fall into CO₂ emission class 4.
  
  
• CO₂ emission class 3 comprises vehicles whose specific CO₂ emissions are more than 8% below the vehicle subgroup-specific CO₂ reference value at the time of initial registration.
  Vehicles in CO₂ emission class 3 are retested and, if necessary, reclassified six years after initial registration and every six years thereafter.
  
  
• For vehicles in CO₂ emission class 2, the specific CO₂ emissions at the time of initial registration are more than 5% below the vehicle subgroup-specific CO₂ reference value.Vehicles in CO₂ emission class 2 are retested and, if necessary, reclassified six years after initial registration and every six years thereafter.
  
  
• CO₂ emission class 1 includes vehicles that cannot be assigned to a higher CO₂ emission class. This may be the case, in particular, if the CO₂ emissions exceed the vehicle subgroup-specific CO₂ reference value or if no suitable verification documents are provided. Allocation to CO₂ emission class 1 also takes place if no CO₂ reference value is available.
  There are currently no CO₂ reference values for buses, motorhomes and some heavy commercial vehicles. They are, therefore, provisionally assigned to CO2 class 1 – Exception: zero-emission vehicles are assigned to CO₂ emission class 5. Vehicles with a first registration date before 1 July 2019 are also automatically assigned to CO₂ emission class 1.

Vehicles assigned to CO₂ emission class 2 or 3 are re-inspected six years after initial registration and then every six years thereafter and reclassified if necessary, as the CO₂ reduction requirements are stricter at the time of re-inspection than at the time of initial registration. This means that these vehicles can be assigned to a lower CO₂ emission class during the inspection. Low-emission and emission-free vehicles are not reclassified and remain in the originally determined CO₂ emission class.

The allocation of a vehicle to one of the five CO₂ emission classes depends on the date of initial registration. Starting in July 2019, CO₂ reference values were defined, which decrease by a percentage value each year. Vehicles that were first registered before 1 July 2019 always fall into CO₂ emission class 1, as there are no CO₂ reference values for them, unless they are emission-free and are therefore entitled to CO₂ emission class 5. This CO₂ reference value is always reduced for the period 1 July to 30 June of the following year. A vehicle that was first registered on 30 June of a year can therefore fall into a different CO₂ emission class than a technically identical vehicle that was first registered on 1 July of the same year.