Changes to the discount for low-emission cars – discount only for fully electric vehicles after new year

The City Board decided to tighten the requirements on 2 September. The low-emission criteria were tightened to change the CO₂ emission limit to 0 g/km from the previous value of 50 g/km.

This change in the criterion means that at the end of the year, roughly 13,000 vehicles will lose the benefit.  In Helsinki, fully electric vehicles accounted for roughly 38% of all last year’s first registrations. Overall, the share of fully electric vehicles in Helsinki was almost seven per cent at the end of 2023.

Vehicle electrification supports Helsinki's emission reduction targets

The City of Helsinki grants a 50% discount to low-emission vehicles for street-side parking, when the mobile payment is used. The discount is also given for resident and business parking permits. The amount of these discounts depends on the type and area of the parking permit.

In the Helsinki City Strategy for 2021–2025, the electrification city traffic has been given an important role to achieve the city’s target of carbon neutrality. The City Strategy and the emission reduction programme, Carbon Neutral Helsinki 2030, aim to reduce the number of internal combustion engine cars in the city.

The stricter criteria for the discount for low-emission cars provide stronger steering towards Helsinki's goal of electrified transport. This change is also in line with Helsinki's air quality and noise control targets.

The criteria are updated on a two-year interval. These incentives for low-emission vehicles are intended to be temporary, and in the future, the discount on parking fees will be discontinued altogether.