If one policy instrument deserves the title “engine of European truck electrification”, it is the CO₂-graded distance toll. Grants are cheques; tolls are annuities. Here is the map as of August 2026, organised by what it does to your cost per kilometre.

The full-exemption champions. Germany exempts zero-emission trucks entirely from its motorway toll until 30 June 2031 (vehicles under 4.25t permanently), while diesel pays a CO₂-surcharged rate in the €0.30–0.35/km class for Euro VI long-haul — the largest single differential in Europe, worth €30,000–50,000 per truck-year at German mileages. Norway exempts zero-emission trucks from road tolls to 2030; Switzerland’s LSVA structurally relieves emission-free trucks across all roads; Czechia exempts BEVs from its highway toll outright.

The steep-gradient systems. Flanders and the Netherlands (both live 1 July 2026) charge Euro VI diesel ≈ €0.204/km versus zero-emission ≈ €0.038/km — a €0.166/km gap, ~€25,000/year at corridor mileage, and up to €0.40/km for diesel on cross-border routes. Austria’s GO-Maut grades by CO₂ class with profound reductions for zero-emission, applying to transit traffic regardless of registration country. Denmark’s distance-based toll differentiates by emission class across the state network.

The negligible and the absent. Sweden adopted CO₂ differentiation on paper but lacks a distance-based system — the benefit is negligible. France has no comparable national instrument (its fleets electrify on energy savings and ZFE exposure). Southern and most of Eastern Europe offer no distance-based CO₂ toll, though Eurovignette’s framework now encourages every member state to build one.

How to use the map. Three disciplines. First, allocate: pull per-country kilometre records (your telematics already has them) and price each country’s share at its 2026 rates — the fleet-level toll differential is the single most persuasive number in any electrification business case. Second, register rationally: exemption benefits follow the vehicle’s emission class, not its plate — a Polish-registered e-truck captures Germany’s exemption on German motorways. Third, watch the calendar: these systems revise annually, Germany’s exemption ends mid-2031, and every July brings changes. Our Subsidy Watch tracks them; your business case should re-run each summer.