Portugal Pushes Taxi Renewal Deadline to 2027, Easing Fleet Pressure

Many foreign residents lean on Portugal’s familiar green-striped cabs when the metro is down or when airport shuttles stop running after midnight. Those taxis will not have to be replaced as quickly as feared: the government has quietly postponed the age-limit deadline, buying the industry extra time and shielding passengers from abrupt fleet shortages.

What Just Happened

Lisbon published Portaria n.º 272/2025/1 at the end of July, granting a two-year reprieve on the rule that a licensed cab must be younger than 10 years. Instead of expiring on 31 December 2025, the grace period now stretches to 31 December 2027. Officials argue that persistent geopolitical shocks, supply-chain bottlenecks and higher borrowing costs make large-scale vehicle purchases unrealistic. By holding off, the Ministry for the Environment and the Secretary of State for Mobility, Cristina Pinto Dias, hope to keep cars on the road and fares stable until markets calm down.

How the Extension Affects Everyday Riders

For customers, especially newcomers still puzzling over Viva Viagem cards, the immediate effect is subtle but important. The 200 € airport run to the Algarve will not suddenly disappear for lack of compliant cars, nor will suburban ranks be emptied while small operators scramble for loans. Taxi availability in low-density towns, where buses run sporadically and ride-hailing applications fade after midnight, should remain steady. Regulators insist that safety inspections and emissions tests continue unchanged, so postponed replacement does not mean neglected maintenance.

Timeline of the New Rules

Deadlines now unfold in three distinct steps. The first milestone arrives on 31 October 2024, when every cab must link its taximeter to certified e-invoicing software, a move delayed by just one year to give garages time to install hardware. The cornerstone age limit follows on 31 December 2027. Only then must operators prove that vehicles entered service less than a decade earlier. Finally, officials intend to revisit the regulation in 2028, coinciding with a broader review of urban mobility targets under the Plano Nacional de Energia e Clima.

Support Schemes for Greener Cabs

To make compliance easier—and greener—the government doubled a fund to 2 M€, earmarked for the purchase of 100 % electric vehicles, scrappage of diesel workhorses and installation of home or depot chargers. Each license holder may request 5 000 € per new EV, rising to 6 000 € in sparsely populated municipalities. A separate 6 000 € grant covers the mandatory destruction of older cars. Applications, open through the IMT portal until 31 October 2025, also reimburse 75 % of charger costs (capped at 750 €) and half of digital-taximeter upgrades up to 5 000 €.

Reaction from the Industry

ANTRAL and the Federação Portuguesa do Táxi welcomed the move as an economic lifeline. Associations told reporters that war-related steel shortages, volatile lithium prices and long delivery times for popular hybrid models make a 2025 cut-off impracticable. Independent drivers, many of whom operate single-vehicle businesses, say the deferral prevents forced exits from the market and buys time to tap low-interest credit lines negotiated with Caixa Geral de Depósitos. Ride-hailing competitors did not publicly oppose the decision, though one Uber partner noted that older diesel taxis undercut the platform’s push toward electrification.

What Expats Should Expect

For recent arrivals comparing taxi fares to Bolt or Cabify, daily service will look familiar: the same Mercedes E-Classes and Peugeot estates will queue at Santa Apologia, and the night surcharge remains 20 %. The most noticeable change may be digital receipts: once meters link to the national e-invoice system, riders will receive an automatic PDF—handy for NIF-linked tax deductions. Travelers eyeing zero-emission transport should watch for more green-number-plate cabs over the next 24 months as grants flow. Finally, anyone relocating to interior districts such as Castelo Branco or Beja can take comfort that local fleets will not shrink abruptly, preserving late-night options when inter-urban buses stop.

Looking Ahead

Transport officials caution that the extension is “exceptional and unrepeatable.” When economic turbulence subsides, pressure will resurface to align taxis with Portugal’s 2030 climate goals and match the EV momentum of Lisbon’s municipal bus company, Carris. For now, the road to a younger, quieter taxi fleet runs through 2027. Expats would do well to keep their taxi apps updated, save those emailed receipts and—if Portuguese is still a work in progress—practice saying pode ligar o taxímetro, por favor?, because those meters are about to get a digital brain.