Luxury cars will be able to pay more expensive traffic fines in Brazil, according to new law

A bill in progress in the Chamber of Deputies proposes a profound change in the way traffic fines are collected in the country. According to the proposal, infractions would no longer have fixed values, as is the case today, and would be calculated based on a percentage linked to the market price of the vehicle fined. It is a model already adopted in northern European countries, for example.

The amendment to the Brazilian Traffic Code (CTB), stipulated in Bill 78/2025, aims to create a fairer charge that is proportional to the driver’s presumed income. Currently, the penalty system applies a standardized table, divided only by the severity of the offense. A very serious infraction, for example, yields a fine of R$ 293.47 for any driver, whether he owns a popular car with decades of use or a luxury utility vehicle just out of the dealership.

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The author of the text, federal deputy Kiko Celeguim (PT-SP), argues that the current model punishes citizens unequally, burdening the poorest. “While for owners of lower value cars the financial impact of fines can be extremely significant, for drivers of luxury vehicles, the same amount becomes derisory”, argued the parliamentarian in the justification of the project.

To make the measure viable, the definition of the exact percentages and the annual update of the market price list of vehicles would be under the responsibility of the National Traffic Council (Contran). The text also points out that the other punishments provided for in the current law, such as the addition of points to the National Driver’s License (CNH) and the multiplying factors in case of very serious infractions, will remain unchanged.

If approved in Congress, the new calculation basis will require regulation within 90 days after presidential sanction. Then, drivers and enforcement agencies will have a period of 180 days to adapt before the rule effectively comes into effect. Currently, the matter is awaiting analysis in the Traffic and Transport committees; Finance and Taxation; and Constitution and Justice (CCJ). To become law, it depends on approval in the plenaries of the Chamber and the Senate.