Road tax calculator Netherlands
Every car owner in the Netherlands pays road tax. The amount of road tax is based on vehicle type, weight, and fuel, but also on your location. Do you want to know how much Dutch road tax you have to pay? You can easily estimate your costs with our road tax calculator.
What is road tax?
Road tax, also known as motor vehicle tax, is a fee you pay if you own a vehicle that is less than 40 years old. In Dutch, road tax is called motorrijtuigenbelasting or wegenbelasting. The road tax consists of two parts:
Basic tax
The basic tax is based on the vehicle itself: weight, age, and fuel.
Provincial surcharge
The provincial surcharge is an additional tax, based on where you live.
The basic tax goes to the government, the provincial surcharge goes to your muncipality. Road tax is mainly used to maintain roads and everything surrounding them, in which the government takes care of highways and muncipalities pay more attention to local roads.
Provincial surcharges (2026)
Provincial surcharges are additional charges included in your road tax. The surcharge differs per province, hence the name, and goes to the provincial muncipality.
Example of provincial surcharge
Let's assume you live somewhere in which the provincial surcharge is 85%. This means that you pay an additional 85% of your road tax as a surcharge to your province.
If your basic road tax is € 50 per month, your total toad tax 185% of that: € 92,50. Of this, € 50 goes to the government and the other € 42,50 goes to your province.
Provincial surcharges per province
Below you find the provincial surcharge per province in 2026:
| Province | Surcharge |
|---|---|
| Drenthe | 92% |
| Flevoland | 84,7% |
| Friesland | 94,6% |
| Gelderland | 98,3% |
| Groningen | 95,7% |
| Limburg | 88,5% |
| Noord-Brabant | 87,0% |
| Noord-Holland | 82,1% |
| Overijssel | 82,2% |
| Utrecht | 86,4% |
| Zeeland | 84,4% |
| Zuid-Holland | 104,4% |
How to calculate road tax
You can calculate Dutch road tax using your vehicle’s number plate. The amount you pay depends on several factors:
- The weight of your car
- Whether your car runs on diesel, electricity, or gasoline
- How environmentally friendly your car is
- The province you live in
The amount of road tax you pay differs per person. You can calculate your road tax using our tool on top of this page: all you need is your license plate and your address.
How do you pay road tax?
Once a vehicle is registered to your name, you will automatically be charged with road tax. The Belastingdienst (tax administration) will send you a letter explaining how much and when you have to pay.
By default, you will pay monthly by automatic transfer from your bank account. You can also opt to pay quarterly, in which case you will be sent a bill once every three months. You will have to transfer the tax manually.
Road tax and electric vehicles
Full electric vehicles (EV) are better for the environment. Thus, the Dutch government tries to encourage driving an EV by discounting road tax. This discount, however, will decrease in the coming years:
| Year | Discount |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 30% |
| 2027 | 30% |
| 2028 | 30% |
| 2029 | 25% |
| 2030 | 0% |
Starting 2030, everyone owning a full EV will no longer receive a discount on their road tax.
Road tax exemptions
Basically everyone who owns a motorized vehicle pays road tax. This is not only true for cars, but also for motorbikes and the like. However, there is a number of exceptions. If you meet certain conditions, you can get an exemption, and pay less or even no road tax. Some examples of exempted vehicles:
- Oldtimers that are 40 years or older of age. Note: starting in 2027, this will be reworded to "cars that were released before January first, 1988";
- A truck at least 40 years of age and is not used in any business-related way;
- Taxis;
- Hearses;
- Ambulances (including for the veterinary hospital);
- Garbage trucks.
You can check all the conditions and apply for an exemption on the website of the Belastingdienst.
Apply for road tax exemption (Dutch website)
Partial exemptions
Some vehicles are entitled to a partial exemption. You pay less for campers, for example. Cars with a foreign license plate registered in the Netherlands or cars customized for wheelchair accessibility are also eligible for partial exemption. Again, you can apply for the exemption on the website of the Belastingdienst.
Road tax and selling your car
You automatically pay road tax for as long as you own a motorized vehicle. It will start and stop automatically. Any excess you have paid (for example, if you paid for three months but sell your car after two) will be reimbursed.
Keep in mind that if you sell your car, you officially own it for as long as it is registered to your name - even if the buyer has already paid you. Make sure to register the car on the new owner's name as soon as possible. If you sell your car to a garage or licensed car dealer, they will usually take care of the transfer. If you sell it to someone else, like a friend or family member, you have to do this yourself. You can do this online at the website of the RDW.
Good to know: although the road tax ends automatically, your car insurance does not. You have to notify your insurance company to cancel the insurance.
Scrapping your car
If your car is too old or too damaged, you can get it scrapped. At this point, your license plate will be automatically registered as scrapped and no longer be registered to your name. You no longer have to pay road tax from the scrapping date on.
Suspending your car
If you plan on not using your car for a while, but are not willing to part with it, you can suspend it. If you do, you pay suspension costs (depending on how long you want it suspended, the kind of vehicle, and the age of the vehicle). The road tax and car insurance requirements are temporarily suspended as well.
Important to know: if you suspend the car, it is not allowed on public roads. You cannot drive it, and you have to park it on private property.
Frequently asked questions
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Disclaimer
Het gebruik van de informatie is volledig de verantwoordelijkheid van de lezer. Independer staat niet in voor eventuele juridische correctheid, volledigheid en effectiviteit. Bekijk voor meer informatie ook ons redactioneel beleid.
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