Anyone registering an electric car from 1 January 2026 will have to pay road tax. Until now, electric cars have been exempt from road tax, but that is about to change. Car owners who registered their cars before 2026 will retain their exemption.
The exemption was intended to support a greener mobility, but it also costs the Flemish government loads of money. The Flemish coalition agreement states that a tax on electric cars would be introduced, and it is now also clear when this will happen: from the beginning of next year. Flemish finance minister Ben Weyts (nationalist N-VA) made the announcement in today’s edition of daily Het Nieuwsblad.
Anyone who buys or becomes the owner of a car in Flanders and wants to drive it on the road pays a one-off registration tax, the BIV. In addition, the owner will also pay annual road tax or JVB. This tax is calculated on the basis of the characteristics of the vehicle, such as its age and so-called “fiscal horsepower”, which is determined on the basis of, among other things, the car's fuel type.