Vehicle tax in Finland 2026 — what does a car cost per year?
Finnish vehicle tax has two parts: a base tax (perusvero) and a driving power tax (käyttövoimavero). The base tax follows the CO2 emission and in 2026 runs from 106,21 to 654,44 euros a year. The driving power tax applies to everything except petrol cars and is charged in cents per day for each started 100 kg of the maximum permissible total mass.
A petrol car therefore pays the base tax only. A diesel, an electric car, a plug-in hybrid or a gas car pays both parts together. Below are both tables, three worked examples and the situations in which no tax accrues at all.
- 106,21 €
- lowest base tax per year
- 654,44 €
- highest base tax per year
- 5,5 c
- diesel · day / started 100 kg
- 1,9 c
- electric · day / started 100 kg
What is the tax made of?
Vehicle tax accrues daily and is billed for a tax period of 12 months. It is collected by Traficom, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency. The two parts are calculated on completely different grounds: the base tax on the carbon dioxide emission, the driving power tax on mass and fuel type.
- Base tax: charged on passenger cars and vans, based on the specific CO2 emission reported by the manufacturer.
- Driving power tax: charged only on cars whose driving power is something other than petrol — diesel, electricity, a plug-in hybrid or gas.
- If the register holds no emission figure for the car, the base tax follows the total mass from a separate table.
What changed in 2026?
The base tax on low and zero emission cars rose on 1 January 2026. The lowest annual figure doubled from 53,29 to 106,21 euros, which is 29,10 cents a day. The increase covers every car emitting up to 103 g/km under WLTP: fully electric cars, plug-in hybrids and many low emission full hybrids. Cars emitting 104 g/km or more kept their previous base tax.
The base tax is read from a statutory table gram by gram. There are three tables: table 1 A for cars measured with the WLTP method, table 1 for cars measured with the older NEDC method, and table 2 for old cars whose emissions were never measured. The same gram figure therefore produces a different tax depending on which method was used.
| CO2 (WLTP) | Base tax EUR/year | Cents per day |
|---|---|---|
| 0–103 g/km | 106,21 € | 29,10 |
| 110 g/km | 112,05 € | 30,70 |
| 120 g/km | 120,81 € | 33,10 |
| 140 g/km | 142,71 € | 39,10 |
| 160 g/km | 181,04 € | 49,60 |
| 200 g/km | 285,43 € | 78,20 |
| 250 g/km | 424,49 € | 116,30 |
| 400 g/km or more | 654,44 € | 179,30 |
Driving power tax by fuel type
The formula is simple: the number of started hundreds of kilograms multiplied by the rate in cents. The mass used is the maximum permissible total mass in road traffic, not the kerb weight — this is the most common mistake in do it yourself calculations. A total mass of 1 850 kg counts as 19 started hundreds, not 18.
| Driving power | Cents per day per started 100 kg |
|---|---|
| Petrol | no driving power tax |
| Diesel | 5,5 |
| Electricity and diesel (plug-in hybrid) | 3,6 |
| Methane or natural gas | 3,1 |
| Fully electric | 1,9 |
| Electricity and petrol (plug-in hybrid) | 0,95 |
The rate for fully electric cars rose from 1,5 to 1,9 cents at the start of 2026. The rate for plug-in diesel hybrids moved the other way, down from 4,9 to 3,6 cents. The stated reason was that the excise duty on electricity is lighter than on petrol, and the difference was levelled out through vehicle taxation.
Three worked examples
| Car | Base tax | Driving power tax | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol, WLTP 140 g/km, 1 600 kg | 142,71 € | 0 € | 142,71 € |
| Diesel, WLTP 150 g/km, 1 800 kg | 160,96 € | 361,35 € | 522,31 € |
| Fully electric, 1 900 kg, in use since 2020 | 106,21 € | 131,76 € | 237,97 € |
Electric cars have two base tax levels
The base tax on a fully electric or hydrogen car depends on when it was first taken into use. Cars taken into use before 30 September 2021 pay the lowest table figure, 106,21 euros a year. If the car was taken into use on 1 October 2021 or later, 17,80 cents a day is added to that lowest figure, bringing the annual tax to roughly 171 euros.
When does no tax accrue?
- No tax is charged for days on which the vehicle has been declared off road.
- On a sale the seller is liable up to and including the day of sale, and the new owner from the following day.
- The tax can be paid in one, two or four instalments. The number is changed through the Traficom service.
- A car with unpaid vehicle tax may not be used in traffic.
- An exemption granted on grounds of disability ends the liability mid period.
Calculators for this topic
FAQ
How much is Finnish vehicle tax in 2026?
The base tax runs from 106,21 to 654,44 euros a year depending on the CO2 emission. On top of that every non petrol car pays driving power tax: diesel 5,5, gas 3,1, plug-in diesel hybrid 3,6, fully electric 1,9 and plug-in petrol hybrid 0,95 cents per day for each started 100 kg.
Why did the tax on electric cars rise in 2026?
Both parts went up. The lowest base tax doubled from 53,29 to 106,21 euros and the driving power tax rose from 1,5 to 1,9 cents per day per started 100 kg. The reason given was that electricity carries a lighter excise duty than petrol.
Where can I see my emission figure and measurement method?
The value and the method (NEDC or WLTP) appear on the vehicle tax bill, in the Traficom Oma asiointi service and on the registration certificate. The method matters because WLTP and NEDC cars have separate tax tables.
Do I pay vehicle tax if the car just sits in the garage?
Yes, as long as it stays in road use. The tax stops only once the vehicle is declared off road. Simply not driving it is not enough.
Is vehicle tax the same as car tax?
No. Car tax is a one time tax on first registering a car in Finland. Vehicle tax is an annual tax that Traficom bills on every car in road use.