The GHG quota in 2026: what sits behind the payout
To make sense of the payout you need the quota itself: who has to meet it, how electricity from your car counts and what changed in 2026.
Worked through by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
How much electricity counts towards the quota
Credited amount a year
6,000 kWh
| Estimate before the factor | 2,000 kWh |
| Factor for electricity | × 3 |
| Report to the Federal Environment Agency | by 28 February of the following year |
Battery electric vehicles only; the keeper named on the registration can sell the amount once a year through a provider.
Germany’s greenhouse gas reduction quota (Treibhausgasminderungsquote, or THG-Quote) obliges companies that sell petrol and diesel to cut the emissions of their fuels by a set share each year. One way to do that is electricity used by electric vehicles. The 38th Federal Immission Control Ordinance (38. BImSchV) lets that electricity count 3 times. Because private keepers do not meter their charging, the Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt, UBA) assumes a flat 2,000 kWh a year for every battery electric car and 3,000 kWh for a light van, so 6,000 and 9,000 kWh are credited. For 2026 the greenhouse gas value of electricity is 119 kg of CO2 equivalent per gigajoule. On 24 April 2026 the Bundestag passed a law raising the quota step by step to 65 % by 2040. Keepers sell their share through a provider, and the proceeds are the payout.
A duty for oil companies, a market for keepers
The Federal Immission Control Act sets by how much the greenhouse gas emissions of fuel sold in Germany must fall. Companies under that duty can meet it in several ways: blending biofuels, using green hydrogen, or having other parties’ reductions credited to them. The 38th BImSchV sets out how electricity for electric vehicles contributes. That creates a market: on one side, companies that need quota; on the other, keepers of electric cars who can supply electricity. Providers in between collect thousands of cars, have the amounts certified and sell them in large bundles.
From registration to certified amount
- You upload part I of your registration certificate (Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I) to a provider, who checks that the car is fully electric and that you are the keeper (Halter).
- The provider reports the collected cars to the Federal Environment Agency by 28 February of the following year at the latest.
- The agency certifies the flat estimate for each car; the same car reported twice in one year is caught at this point.
- The provider sells the certified amount to an obliged company, which has it credited to its quota.
- You receive the agreed sum. How much that is, is covered on the GHG quota payout page.
The figures used
| Item | 2026 value | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Estimate, electric car (M1) | 2,000 kWh a year | Federal Environment Agency notice |
| Estimate, light commercial vehicle (N1) | 3,000 kWh a year | Federal Environment Agency notice |
| Factor for electricity | × 3 | 38th BImSchV |
| Greenhouse gas value of electricity | 119 kg CO2e per GJ | Notice for 2026 |
| Quota in 2040 | 65 % | Law passed on 24 April 2026 |
The greenhouse gas value of electricity describes how much greenhouse gas the German power mix causes per unit of energy. The cleaner the power, the wider the gap to petrol and diesel, and the more reduction one kilowatt hour delivers. For you as keeper this number plays no direct part: you sell an amount of electricity, not tonnes of CO2. Turning it into tonnes saved for a single car would be an estimate that no official body publishes.
What the 2026 law means
On 24 April 2026 the Bundestag passed the law developing the quota further. It raises the oil companies’ duty in steps to 65 % in 2040. A higher duty means more demand for reductions, which tends to support quota prices. Whether that shows up in payouts over the coming years also depends on how many electric cars and other compliance options enter the market. The values for 2027 onwards are passed and announced, but each applies only in its own year. Guides also mention a changed factor for electricity; there is no official text for that, so this page keeps working with a factor of 3.
Example: a household with two cars
A family runs two electric cars, both registered to them. The agency assumes 2,000 kWh for each, so 12,000 kWh are credited in total. If the cars are registered to two different people, each sells their own; nothing can be pooled, because the keeper on the certificate decides.
Example: a trade business with vans
A business has two electric cars and three electric N1 vans registered. Before the factor that is 13,000 kWh, credited 39,000 kWh. Providers price commercial vehicles separately and often offer fleet contracts. You can enter your own numbers in the small calculator above.
| Fleet | Estimate | Credited |
|---|---|---|
| 1 car | 2,000 kWh | 6,000 kWh |
| 2 cars | 4,000 kWh | 12,000 kWh |
| 2 cars and 3 vans | 13,000 kWh | 39,000 kWh |
What does not count
- Plug-in hybrids: the estimate only covers battery electric vehicles, however much a hybrid drives on electricity.
- Electric motorbikes and light vehicles: they are registered in their own classes, and whether a provider accepts them is in its terms.
- A car whose quota for the year has already been sold by a previous keeper.
- A claim after the provider’s cut-off, even if the legal deadline is still open.
How a quota price comes about
No law sets a price per kilowatt hour. Obliged companies compare what a tonne of reduction costs them by the cheapest route: biofuel, hydrogen, electricity, or the penalty they owe if they miss their target. The penalty works as a ceiling, since nobody would pay more than that for quota. A large supply pushes prices down: in years when many electric cars are newly registered or a lot of biofuel is credited, prices fall. That is why keeper payouts have swung widely in past years, and why an amount promised for one year says nothing about the next.
What you need to report a car
Providers ask for nothing more than a clear photo or scan of the front and back of part I of the registration certificate, plus your bank details for the payout. No electricity bill, charging log or proof of a wallbox is needed, because the flat estimate applies.
The quota and the purchase grant
The quota is a climate law instrument for fuels; the purchase grant is a payment from the federal budget. They run side by side: if you buy an electric car with the grant, you can also sell the quota every year from the year of registration. The grant’s holding period of 36 months has no effect on the quota, and selling the quota does not put the grant at risk. How tax fits in is on the vehicle tax calculator; what charging at home costs and which grants exist is under wallbox grant.