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Road tax for a Tesla in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Germany exempts electric cars first registered by 2030 until 2035 at the latest, Austria has taxed them since April 2025, and in Switzerland every canton sets its own rules. What a Tesla pays, with examples.
Last checked 29 September 2026 against laws, authorities and official pages
Short answer
Germany: a fully electric car first registered by 31 December 2030 pays no road tax for 10 years, but only until 31 December 2035 at the latest; a used car keeps what is left. After that, a Model Y pays about €74 a year. Austria: since 1 April 2025, electric cars pay the engine-related insurance tax with the liability premium, roughly €390 to €1,015 a year for a Tesla depending on power and weight. Switzerland: each canton decides, from nothing in Zurich to about CHF 520 for a Model Y in Geneva, and electric cars have paid the 4 % federal automobile tax on import since 2024.
Germany: tax-free until 2035 at the latest
Under § 3d of the Motor Vehicle Tax Act (KraftStG), a pure electric car first registered between 18 May 2011 and 31 December 2030 is exempt for 10 years from its first registration, but no longer than 31 December 2035. An amending act of 22 December 2025 (BGBl. 2025 I Nr. 342) extended the registration window from the end of 2025 to the end of 2030 and the end date from 2030 to 2035. It took effect on 1 January 2026.
| First registered | Tax-free until | Tax-free period |
|---|---|---|
| March 2021 | March 2031 | 10 years |
| June 2025 | June 2035 | 10 years |
| July 2028 | 31 December 2035 | about 7½ years |
| December 2030 | 31 December 2035 | about 5 years |
Plug-in hybrids are not covered; they are taxed like combustion cars.
Buying a used electric car in Germany
The exemption belongs to the car, not to you. It is granted once per vehicle, and a new owner gets whatever is left; it does not restart. Periods when the car was deregistered do not pause it. Check the date of first registration (field B on the registration certificate, part I): the exemption ends 10 years later or on 31 December 2035, whichever comes first.
What a Tesla pays in Germany afterwards
Electric cars are then taxed by their permissible total weight: €11.25 per 200 kg up to 2,000 kg and €12.02 per 200 kg from 2,000 to 3,000 kg, halved for electric cars (§ 9 KraftStG).
- Model 3: about €62 to €68 a year.
- Model Y: about €74 a year.
Our calculation from typical total weights of 2,186 to 2,543 kg; your tax notice uses the value in your registration certificate.
Austria: taxed since April 2025
Austria removed the exemption for electric cars on 1 April 2025 (BGBl. I Nr. 7/2025). Since then every insured electric car, whenever it was registered, pays the engine-related insurance tax, which your insurer collects monthly with the liability premium. There is no surcharge for paying monthly.
The monthly amount has two parts (§ 6 VersStG):
- Power: kW minus 45; €0.25 per kW for the first 35, €0.35 for the next 25, €0.45 above that (at least 10 kW). The law uses the rated continuous power in your registration certificate, which for electric cars is usually the 30-minute rating, not the peak output.
- Weight: empty weight minus 900 kg; €0.015 per kg for the first 500, €0.030 for the next 700, €0.045 above that (at least 200 kg).
| Car (example values) | Power, weight | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model 3 RWD | 88 kW, 1,836 kg | €32 | about €390 |
| Model Y RWD | 114 kW, 2,003 kg | €47 | about €570 |
| Model Y Long Range AWD | 179 kW, 2,072 kg | €78 | about €940 |
| Model Y Performance | 190 kW, 2,108 kg | €85 | about €1,015 |
A change for 2027 affects only electric motorcycles and other L-category vehicles; the car formula stays. The one-off standard fuel consumption tax (NoVA) does not apply to cars with 0 g CO₂/km.
Switzerland: every canton decides
Switzerland has no federal annual road tax. Each of the 26 cantons taxes cars by its own formula and sets its own rules for electric cars. At federal level, electric cars have paid the 4 % automobile tax on import since 1 January 2024; for new cars it is built into the price, with 8.1 % VAT on top. The CHF 40 motorway vignette is separate.
| Canton | Rule for electric cars | Model Y per year, about |
|---|---|---|
| Zurich | Exempt. A parliamentary initiative to tax them by weight is under discussion. | CHF 0 |
| Bern | Half-rate weight scale; 60 % off in the year of first registration and the three following years. | CHF 105–110, later CHF 265–270 |
| Aargau | New law since 2026: weight and power, with 20 % off the weight and 30 % off the power for electric cars. | CHF 250–500, depending on version and registered power |
| Basel-Stadt | Empty weight only, 50 % rebate while electric cars are under 5 % of all cars, for at most 10 years. The 5 % mark was passed at the end of 2025. | CHF 125–130 with rebate, CHF 250–265 without |
| Vaud | New electric cars first registered from 2024 are tax-free for 2 years, then 90 % off. | CHF 0, then CHF 50–190 |
| Geneva | Since 2025: CHF 120 plus a surcharge by empty weight, which makes heavy electric cars expensive. | CHF 520 (Performance CHF 720) |
Two things may change soon: Basel-Stadt’s rebate is set to end after 2026 unless the cantonal parliament extends it, and Geneva’s new tax is being challenged in court, although an electric-car owner’s appeal was rejected in June 2026.
Planned from 2030: to replace lost fuel-tax revenue, the Federal Council consulted from September 2025 to January 2026 on a federal levy on electric cars, charged either per kilometre (5.4 centimes per km for a car with 2,400 kg total weight) or per kWh of charging, with a flat annual tax of CHF 532 for the same car until metering is ready. It needs a constitutional change, so voters will decide. Nothing is payable in 2026.
Questions
Does a Tesla registered in 2026 get 10 tax-free years in Germany?
Almost. The exemption ends on 31 December 2035 at the latest, so a car first registered on 1 January 2026 gets just under 10 years, and later registrations get less.
Does the German exemption transfer to the next owner?
Yes. It belongs to the car and continues for the new owner until it expires, counted from the first registration.
Why is my Austrian tax higher than for a smaller electric car?
Austria taxes power and weight, and each kW above 105 kW costs €0.45 a month. All-wheel-drive and Performance versions therefore pay much more.
Is there an annual federal road tax in Switzerland?
No. Annual vehicle tax is cantonal. Federal charges are the 4 % automobile tax on import, which is built into new-car prices, and the CHF 40 motorway vignette.
Sources
- § 3d KraftStG, electric vehicle exemption (German law)
- § 9 KraftStG, tax rates (German law)
- Eighth act amending the Motor Vehicle Tax Act, BGBl. 2025 I Nr. 342 (German)
- Austria: Versicherungssteuergesetz 1953, § 6 (RIS, German)
- Swiss Federal Council: automobile tax on electric cars from 2024 (German)
- Swiss Federal Office for Customs and Border Security: automobile tax
- Canton of Zurich: road tax for electric vehicles (German)
- Canton of Bern, road traffic office: vehicle tax (German)
- Canton of Aargau: new vehicle tax from 2026 (German)
- Canton of Basel-Stadt: motor vehicle tax (German)
- Canton of Vaud: tax on cars and light vehicles (French)
- Canton of Geneva: new vehicle tax from 2025 (French)
- Swiss Federal Roads Office: planned levy on electric vehicles (German)
General information, not tax, legal or financial advice. Amounts, prices and rules change; check the linked sources and ask an adviser about your own case. Handlefree is independent and not affiliated with Tesla, Inc.