The government wants to quickly kill 'cheap' driving - AutoReview.nl

If you look at the hard figures for the government, it seems like a drop in the ocean: the G3 scheme for cars that run on LPG. This means that you get a discount on the MRB rate for LPG. The scheme was introduced in 1997 because LPG was considered less harmful to the environment than petrol and diesel.

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What is the g3 scheme?

The G3 scheme provides a discount on the normal road tax for LPG for cars from around the late 1990s with a G3 or CNG installation (natural gas). The outgoing cabinet wants to abolish this scheme as of January 1, 2026. Due to the limited number of LPG cars in the Netherlands, it yields relatively little money, but it makes a big difference for the individual gas driver.

Do you have a G3 car that weighs between 1451 and 1550 kilos and do you live in the province of Utrecht? Then you now spend 345 euros per quarter. If it is up to the cabinet, this will be no less than 475 euros in 2026. That is 130 euros more per quarter and on an annual basis it costs 520 euros more. Even though LPG is still the cheapest car fuel per liter, these are not good news for most LPG and CNG drivers - think of the Audi G-tron models, for example.

MRB exemption for classics abolished?

Anyone who does not want to pay road tax at all drives a car that is 40 years or older. Although the MRB exemption will rarely be the reason why someone drives such a car. However, the outgoing cabinet also wants to simplify this arrangement. The plan is to stop it in 2028. This would mean that all cars built later than 1988 would never be completely exempt from road tax.

And yet cars that are 40 years old and older almost never drive more than a few thousand kilometers per year. Those will be expensive kilometers. Especially for owners of more than one classic and they are not always wealthy collectors. Many classic car drivers are people who make ends meet in order to pursue their hobby. Moreover, the current arrangement is already more meager than in most other countries, where cars become tax-free from the age of 30.

Road tax for campers doubled

A third MRB scheme that the government wants to overhaul from 2026 is the quarterly rate for campers. The reason is that most campers are only used for part of the year. Because campers are heavy and usually have a diesel engine, this makes a significant difference in costs. If it is up to the outgoing cabinet, the quarter rate will be replaced by a half rate.

For camper owners, this means a doubling of road tax costs. Doesn't sound unreasonable for wealthy boomers with large expensive campers. But you will have just put your hard-earned money into a fifth-hand van camper...

It is hoped that the House of Representatives will vote down these proposals for G3/LPG drivers, classic enthusiasts and camper owners. Because for the time being they are 'just' proposals. To be continued.