ETS2: carbon pricing is coming to road transport fuel
Adopted 2026-06-14 · ≈ 1 min read · 
edited by Dirk Baaijen
ETS2 brings carbon pricing to fuels for road transport and buildings — fuel suppliers must surrender allowances. It starts in 2028 (delayed from 2027), with monitoring already under way. This feeds through into the diesel price, and therefore into freight rates.
Download the regime cheat sheet (PDF) ↓
Where the EU ETS for shipping is already running, a separate system is coming for the road: ETS2. It prices the CO₂ of fuels for road transport and buildings — and that hits the cost of every kilometre of diesel.
How ETS2 works
ETS2 is a standalone emissions trading system that applies not to the carrier but upstream to fuel suppliers: they must surrender allowances for the fuels they place on the market. The cost then feeds through into the pump price. The cap declines annually (–5.15%), with a price-stabilisation mechanism that releases extra allowances above roughly €45 per tonne of CO₂. The goal: –42% emissions by 2030 (vs 2005).
The timeline
The start has been delayed to 2028 (originally 2027). The monitoring and reporting obligations for fuel suppliers are, however, already under way, with verification in the run-up years. The price signal is coming — the question is not whether, but when and how hard.
What it means for you
- Carrier? ETS2 structurally raises the diesel price. Factor it into your
cost calculation and into fuel/indexation clauses with clients.
- Shipper? Expect it to feed through into freight rates; decarbonising the
chain (modal shift, efficiency) also becomes more financially attractive.
Want to know which EU regimes besides ETS2 affect your organisation — the Data Act, eFTI, EMSWe, the AI Act, NIS2 — and where your readiness stands? Take the Transport & Logistics scan.
Sources
- https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-action/carbon-markets/ets2-buildings-road-transport-and-additional-sectors_en
European Commission — ETS2: carbon pricing for road transport and buildings; fuel suppliers, cap and timeline. - https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2023/959/oj
Directive (EU) 2023/959: revision of the EU ETS, including the creation of ETS2.
Read next
When does ETS2 actually start?
ETS2 has been postponed to 2028 (originally 2027). Monitoring and reporting are already running. The system prices road-transport and building fuels upstream at the fuel supplier.
How much more expensive will diesel become due to ETS2?
From 2028 ETS2 prices road-transport fuel upstream at suppliers, who pass the cost on at the pump. The exact rise per litre is not fixed and depends on the market price per tonne of CO2.
ETS2: what must I arrange in my contracts?
ETS2 prices road-transport fuel upstream at suppliers; costs feed into the pump price. In contracts, arrange a pass-through/indexation clause, fuel-consumption data sharing and renegotiation points ahead of the 2028 start.