It's not getting cheaper

What’s changing for drivers in the new year

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/stock.adobe.com)

Every year, not only does the Christ child arrive, but a week later there are also various changes that affect drivers and other road users - most of which are expensive. Buying a car, driving a car, refueling, etc. It is not yet clear what will happen to the e-mobility bonus in the long term. An overview.

What you will probably see straight away in the price of fuel: The price of CO2 is rising, albeit at a manageable rate. Around three percent will be added per liter. It may even be a little more, because the climate bonus is likely to be reduced or eliminated. The ÖAMTC recommends paying attention to low consumption when buying a car. No na.

Higher NoVA
Fuel consumption will also have a greater impact on the purchase price than before: the NoVA will be tightened. Firstly, at the top end, which is unlikely to affect the average driver, as the top rate will rise to 80 percent. But the price will also rise at the lower end: in future, only 94 grams will be deducted from the standard CO2 emissions instead of 97 grams. The result is divided by 5; the result is then the applicable NoVA rate. A further 80 euros will be added for every gram of CO2 emitted in excess of 155 grams. A flat rate of 350 euros is deducted.

For small trucks in the N1 class, the corresponding rates are 147 instead of 150 g and 208 g.

Individual hybrid models, the majority of plug-in hybrids and all electric cars will remain exempt in 2025 due to the low or complete lack of official CO2 emissions - regardless of how much they (especially plug-in hybrids) actually emit in everyday use.

The motor-related insurance tax, which is payable with the third party liability premium, will also become more expensive. For almost all cars registered for the first time from 1 January 2025, it will be €34.56 higher per year than for first-time registrations in 2024. Only very efficient or low-performance cars will see a lower tax increase or none at all. As before, e-cars are completely exempt from the motor-related insurance tax. Important: Nothing will change for vehicles that are already registered.

E-car subsidy for private individuals
It is not yet clear what will happen to subsidies for private individuals in the area of electromobility in 2025. However, if budget funds are available, you can still register online for the 2024 funding program until 31.05.2025 at the latest. After successful registration, the application for funding must be submitted within 36 weeks; the invoice or purchase contract must not be older than nine months.

Stricter rules for private company car use
Anyone who also uses a company car privately will have to pay tax on it, and will have to pay more again from 2025. If the CO2 emissions exceed a certain limit according to the documents, tax will generally have to be paid on two percent of the purchase price per month instead of 1.5 percent. For company vehicles registered for the first time in 2025, the previous CO2 limit will be lowered to 126 grams per kilometer (according to WLTP for cars and WMTC for motorcycles). For vehicles registered for the first time before then, the respective limit value at the time of first registration will apply. E-vehicles will continue to be exempt from non-cash benefits. In 2025, 35.889 cents per kilowatt hour can be reimbursed tax-free by the employer for charging the company e-car at home.

Vignette 7.7 percent more expensive
The highway vignette will also be a few euros more expensive. The annual vignette - the price of which was not increased at the last turn of the year - will cost 103.40 euros for cars, which is more than 100 euros for the first time.

• Annual vignette: 103.80 euros for cars and 41.50 euros for motorcycles
• Two-month vignette: 31.10 euros for cars and 12.40 euros for motorcycles
• Ten-day vignette: 12.40 euros for cars and 4.90 euros for motorcycles
• 1-day vignette: 9.30 euros for cars and 3.70 euros for motorcycles

The increases for the vignette and ClimateTicket are based on the inflation rate from 2022 to 2023. This means that the costs will rise by 7.7 percent.

Higher mileage allowance
As of January 1, 2025, the official mileage allowance will be increased to a uniform 50 cents. The new mileage allowance rate will then apply regardless of whether you use a car (previously 42 cents) or a motorcycle/motorbike (previously 24 cents). The amount for passengers will also increase: Previously 5 cents, from the new year it will be 15 cents. For journeys of more than one kilometer, the 50 cents will also apply to the use of a bicycle (previously 38 cents for journeys of more than two kilometers).

ClimateTicket
The price of the KlimaTicket for the whole of Austria will rise by around 84 euros to 1179.30 euros at the turn of the year. The price of the discounted Youth, Senior and Special tickets will rise by around 63 euros to 884.20 euros. Tickets with a family upgrade will be available for 1297.80 euros and 1002.70 euros respectively.

Tip before the turn of the year: If you decide to buy the KlimaTicket at short notice, you should buy it at a service point - without a 15-day waiting period - with a validity start date before January 1, 2025. The old price will then still apply.

Public transport journeys more deductible
Previously, only the costs of one-way tickets for public transport could be deducted for work-related journeys, but now it is also possible to receive the pro-rata costs of season tickets (e.g. KlimaTicket) tax-free from the employer.

No AUVA insurance cover for accidents involving e-scooters
A recent Supreme Court ruling could have consequences for insurance cover for accidents at work. According to the Supreme Court, accidents that occur with e-scooters on the way to work are not considered accidents at work because they do not occur with a vehicle, but with sports equipment. They are therefore excluded from AUVA insurance cover. As the AUVA is also responsible for accidents on the way to school, the entitlement to a daily allowance in hospital and a disability pension could now also be waived in the case of wholly or partially self-inflicted accidents with e-scooters on the way to school. "The restriction to 'sports equipment' will then probably also apply to small scooters, which are already clearly excluded from the definition of a vehicle under the StVO," says ÖAMTC legal expert Martin Hoffer.

More opportunities for independent workshops
In 2024, the ECJ ruled that vehicle manufacturers may not restrict access to OBD vehicle diagnostics for independent workshops. The EU Commission will issue a new regulation in 2025 to regulate this accessibility.

Update of the §57a assessment planned
The current requirements for the §57a assessment are essentially based on an EU directive from 2014. The EU Commission is therefore planning an update, which will also address current technologies such as electromobility and assistance systems.

Euro 7 emissions standard - specifications by summer 2025
There is still a bit of water flowing down the Danube before anything concrete changes for drivers. The publication of the Euro 7 emissions standard in summer 2024 created a framework for the new emissions standard, but not all elements have been finalized. Therefore, further legal acts are currently being drawn up that will contain more precise specifications - for example, on the design of on-board monitoring and limit values for tire abrasion. These legal acts must be finalized by summer 2025.