Enter your car's details manually, or pick the make and model to autofill the displacement, CO2 and fuel type from our catalog — all figures stay editable so you can match them to your Zulassungsbescheinigung.
For passenger cars first registered since July 2009 the tax has two components. The displacement component charges EUR 2.00 per started 100 cm3 for petrol engines and EUR 9.50 for diesels — the diesel surcharge offsets the lower energy tax on diesel fuel at the pump. The CO2 component charges every gram above the 95 g/km threshold.
The CO2 side changed on 1 January 2021. Older registrations (from July 2009) pay a flat EUR 2.00 per gram above the threshold. Cars first registered from 2021 pay progressive tiers instead — the dirtier the car, the more each additional gram costs:
| CO2 band (g/km) | Rate per gram |
|---|---|
| 96 – 115 | € 2.00 |
| 116 – 135 | € 2.20 |
| 136 – 155 | € 2.50 |
| 156 – 175 | € 2.90 |
| 176 – 195 | € 3.40 |
| 196+ | € 4.00 |
A practical consequence: a modern 1.5-litre petrol compact at 128 g/km pays around EUR 100 per year. A three-litre diesel SUV at 210 g/km pays over EUR 600. The tax is collected by the Hauptzollamt (Zoll) via direct debit — it is set up automatically when you register the car.
The displacement component of the German vehicle tax is EUR 9.50 per started 100 cm3 for diesel engines versus EUR 2.00 for petrol. The surcharge compensates for the lower energy tax on diesel fuel at the pump. Whether diesel still pays off depends on annual mileage — typically above roughly 15,000-20,000 km per year.
Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) are exempt from Kfz-Steuer for 10 years from their first registration, provided that first registration is on or before 31 December 2030 — the exemption is capped at 31 December 2035 regardless of registration date, under the 8. KraftStG-Aenderungsgesetz of 4 December 2025. After the exemption ends, EVs are taxed by permissible gross weight at a reduced rate. Plug-in hybrids do not qualify for this exemption and are taxed under the standard displacement + CO2 formula.
For first registrations from September 2018 the WLTP figure applies; earlier registrations use the NEDC value. The authoritative number is printed in field V.7 of your Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I.
They stay on the old displacement-and-emissions-class system (Euro class based). This calculator covers the current two-component formula introduced in July 2009; for earlier registrations the Hauptzollamt assessment notice is the reference.