Ing. Viktória Horáčiková
Tax Advisor
Do you own or are you considering acquiring a plug-in hybrid vehicle for your business? It’s a modern solution that combines the benefits of electric and combustion power. However, from a tax perspective, it brings certain specifics – especially when it comes to claiming expenses for consumed fuels, i.e., electricity and gasoline. Let’s take a look at the key aspects every entrepreneur should be aware of.
One Method for Both Power Sources
The first important rule to keep in mind: with a plug-in hybrid that uses two types of fuel (e.g., electricity and gasoline), you cannot assess and apply different methods for proving consumption separately for each fuel type. The method for documenting expenses for consumed fuels applies to the vehicle as a whole. This means you must choose one of the legally defined methods, which you will use for claiming expenses related to both electricity and gasoline consumption for the given vehicle.
In the technical documentation of plug-in hybrids, consumption is often replaced by power output. However, for proving fuel consumption (electricity and gasoline), you have the following main, equally valid methods available:
- Consumption Based on Technical Documentation or Manufacturer/Seller Data: This method is based on the consumption stated in the vehicle registration certificate or technical documentation. If that information is missing or doesn’t match actual usage, data from an authorized testing facility or supplementary data from the manufacturer or seller may be used. Since July 21, 2020, it is allowed to increase such documented consumption by 20%. To claim expenses for business purposes using this method, it is mandatory to keep a mileage logbook.
- Consumption Based on Precise Tracking (Satellite System): This system can accurately record trips and document fuel consumption. Business-related expenses, including documented excess consumption, are fully deductible. If the satellite system does not track electricity consumption, you can use the method from the first point (data from documentation/manufacturer) for the electric portion.
- Flat-Rate Expenses up to 80%: These expenses can be claimed for up to 80% of the total documented fuel purchases for the given tax period. The fuel purchases must be reasonable in relation to the number of kilometers driven, as shown on the odometer. With this method, you are not required to keep a mileage logbook, but the tax authority has the right to verify the accuracy of the reported consumption.
Home Charging of Electricity: Simplification from 2025
If you charge your plug-in hybrid at home and the vehicle is included in business assets, the good news is the simplification effective from January 1, 2025. A new option has been added to the Income Tax Act. Expenses for electricity consumed during home charging can be valued as the product of the average monthly electricity price announced by the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic and the electricity consumption stated in the vehicle registration certificate/technical documentation or supplementary data from the manufacturer/seller, in relation to kilometers driven. This method is intended to simplify the process if you do not charge at public or company charging stations and do not have verifiable documents (invoices, receipts from ERP systems).
The Key Is to Prove the Connection to Business Activities
Regardless of the chosen method for documenting consumption, it is absolutely essential that the incurred expenses meet the basic definition of a tax-deductible expense. This means they must be demonstrably incurred to achieve, secure, and maintain taxable income.
For a vehicle that is also used for private purposes (which is a logical assumption in the case of home charging), the tax expense is recognized only in proportion to the extent the vehicle is used to generate taxable income. To prove the extent of business use, keeping a mileage logbook is necessary. Maintaining this logbook is especially crucial when the vehicle is used for both business and private purposes.
If you are an employer and provide a vehicle to an employee…
If you are a business owner and also an employer providing a vehicle (including a plug-in hybrid) to an employee, certain tax rules apply. Reimbursements for charging the vehicle must be agreed upon, for example, in the employment contract.
For plug-in hybrids (unlike pure electric vehicles – BEVs), it is not possible to combine claiming fuel expenses using a flat rate and documenting home charging.
If the employer reimburses the employee for actual charging costs based on proven kWh consumption and the price per kWh (either from the employee’s invoice or according to the reference rate from the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic), this reimbursement is tax-exempt income for the employee, provided it relates exclusively to kilometers driven for business purposes and the employee keeps a mileage logbook. Without a logbook, only 80% of the reimbursement may be tax-exempt, but this option applies only to pure electric vehicles (BEVs).
Fuel costs (both gasoline and electricity) consumed for private kilometers are not tax-deductible expenses for the employer. For the employee, these costs represent taxable income if paid by the employer and considered a benefit taxable as employment income. Alternatively, private consumption can be treated as a receivable owed by the employee to the employer, which the employee must repay.
Reimbursement for the actual amount of electricity and gasoline consumed for business purposes is calculated based on recorded mileage.
Starting January 1, 2025, the non-cash benefit income for an employee using a company vehicle for private purposes was reduced to 0.5% of the vehicle’s purchase price per month.
For a detailed assessment of your specific situation and answers to particular questions that may arise from your individual way of using the vehicle and accounting, it is always best to consult a tax advisor.
The above information on this website is intended to give you a basic overview of tax, accounting and legal regulations. It is in no way intended as a guide to their application in practice, which may differ significantly from the legislation in force at any given time. The information on this website does not guarantee legal, accounting, tax or other professional advice or services. As such, the information should not be taken as a substitute for professional consultation with accounting, tax, legal or other advisors. EMINEO PARTNERS shall not be responsible or liable for any discrepancies, omissions or results obtained from the use of this information. All information and examples are provided without any warranty as to their applicability in practice. EMINEO PARTNERS is not obliged to reflect the applicable legislation on the information and examples provided on this website.
