Will an electric truck
actually save you money?

To buy, yes — roughly €80–100k more than a diesel, plus the charger. But it's so much cheaper to run (electricity, toll, service) that it usually wins back the difference in 4–6 years and saves money after that. This tool shows you exactly when.

In Belgium a zero-emission truck pays a much lower kilometre charge than diesel (€0.038 vs €0.286 per km in Flanders at the 2026 rate). On 1 July 2026 the Belgian rates went up by roughly 27% on average and Flanders added a CO₂ surcharge, which made that gap wider still — and older trucks, registered before mid-2019, sit in the most expensive bracket. At a typical Belgian-corridor mix the saving is around €15 000 per truck in the first year. It shrinks a little each year after that — to roughly €12 000–13 000 a year averaged over five years — because the Belgian discount for electric trucks is being phased down on a fixed schedule (80% off the infrastructure charge in 2026, then 60%, 40% and 20%). Even so it stays the single biggest reason electric wins here. The engine models all six toll zones (VL/BR/WA/NL/DE/FR) year by year, identical to the full analysis.

Since 1 July 2026 every truck over 3 500 kg pays per kilometre in the Netherlands — the vrachtwagenheffing, which replaced the time-based Eurovignet outright. A zero-emission truck pays a flat 80% less. At the published 2027 rates that is €0.040 per kilometre against €0.206 for diesel: on every 10 000 kilometres of charged network, €400 instead of €2 060. The Dutch discount is flat, not a phase-down — unlike the Belgian one it has no schedule ticking away, so the gap does not shrink year by year. Kilometres abroad pull the same way: Germany charges an electric truck nothing at all until mid-2031, and in Flanders it pays €0.038 against €0.286. France is the only zone that makes no distinction at all.

It helps, if you go electric. Since 1 July 2026 every truck over 3 500 kg pays per kilometre in the Netherlands, Dutch or foreign, on the motorways and part of the roads beneath them. The rate depends on weight and how clean the truck is, and the difference is large: for 2027 the tariffs are already published at €0.206 per km for a heavy diesel and €0.040 for an electric one. Over 10 000 Dutch kilometres that is €2 060 against €400. There is a temporary discount of 22,3% on all Dutch rates until the end of 2026, but it applies to diesel and electric alike, so it does not change which one wins.

In real work today’s long-haul electric trucks do about 500–550 km on a charge, and they charge overnight at your own depot. The newest ones go further: the MAN eTGX shown in 2026 is quoted at 660 km, and 720 km with the seventh battery pack. For a normal Belgian day — including a run to Rotterdam or the Ruhr — that means plugging in at night and never having to charge along the road.

For overnight charging at your own depot you don't need the fastest, most expensive chargers. Trucks sit for hours, so they charge slowly and cheaply — usually one charger shared between a couple of trucks, plus a grid connection. The cost is built into the "Truck + charger" figure above.

This is the question that catches most people out, and it is worth asking your grid operator before you order trucks. In parts of the network there is simply no spare capacity left: in the Netherlands, 45% of supply areas had a shortage with a waiting list in August 2026, and for a heavier connection in logistics the wait can be three to seven years. Belgium is in better shape and publishes no comparable figures, but the lesson travels: apply early. The good news is that charging overnight needs far less power than people expect — about 65 kW per truck spread across the night, not the 400 kW a truck can take at full speed. That is roughly six times smaller, and it is the version most likely to fit within the power you already have. If your connection is capped below what you need, a battery on site or a contract that lets the operator cut you back at busy hours can bridge the gap.

This is the question that catches most people out, and in the Netherlands it is the hard one. In August 2026, 45% of supply areas had a shortage with a waiting list, and for a heavier logistics connection the wait can be three to seven years. Ask your network operator about your own address — and check the congestion map — before you order trucks, not after. The good news is that charging overnight needs far less power than people expect: about 65 kW per truck spread across the night, not the 400 kW a truck can take at full speed. That is roughly six times smaller, and it is the version most likely to fit inside the capacity you already have, or to actually be granted. If your connection is capped below what you need, a battery on site or a contract that lets the operator cut you back at busy hours can bridge the gap.

Modern truck batteries come with long warranties (often 700 000 km or more) and lose only about 2–3% of range a year. We keep the resale value cautious on purpose, so the numbers don't flatter electric.

They use Belgian 2026 prices — real diesel pump prices, the kilometre charge as it stands after 1 July 2026, depot electricity, and conservative assumptions throughout. Where a later year is already officially published, the tool uses that exact figure rather than a guess: the Dutch 2027 rates are confirmed and built in. If anything they're on the careful side. Change the sliders to match your own situation.

Yes, but usually in your favour. It depends which border you cross. Germany is the best case: an electric truck pays nothing there until mid-2031, against €0.348 per km for diesel. The Netherlands is next: €0.040 against €0.206 per km at the published 2027 rates. France is the flat one — its motorway tolls make no distinction yet, so electric pays the same as diesel, and so does Wallonia. Luxembourg still works on a time-based vignette rather than per kilometre. So a run to Rotterdam or the Ruhr strengthens the case; a lot of French motorway weakens it. The detailed CFO version lets you split your kilometres per country.

Yes, and usually in your favour. Germany is the best case: an electric truck pays nothing there until mid-2031, against €0.348 per kilometre for diesel. Flanders is next: €0.038 against €0.286 at the 2026 rate — though the Belgian discount is being phased down to 2029, so that particular gap narrows. Wallonia makes no distinction, and neither does France: its motorway tolls treat electric and diesel alike. Luxembourg still works on a time-based vignette rather than per kilometre. So a run to the Ruhr or Antwerp strengthens the case; a lot of French motorway weakens it. The CFO version lets you split your kilometres per country.