From 1 November, electric and hydrogen vans weighing up to 4.25 tons will follow the same traffic rules as ordinary 3.5-ton vans in Belgium. The decree removes speed limits, access bans, and parking restrictions that penalized the extra weight (almost all of it is battery).
The royal decree comes into effect next month. It covers vans that run exclusively on electricity or hydrogen and have a maximum permitted mass of 4,250 kg. Under the traffic code, they are now treated the same as light vans under 3.5 tons.
Minimize the gap with diesel
This means motorway speed limits and lane rules, city-center access bans, wet-weather overtaking restrictions, and parking provisions no longer apply to them as if they were trucks. The exemption is important to further minimize the gap with diesel equivalents. But we’re not there yet.
In this first phase, Belgium is aligning traffic rules for e-vans only with a European principle. European legislation already allows heavier alternative-powered vans, helping offset the added weight of their propulsion systems without sacrificing payload.
There is one exception, though. The sign C21, which prohibits access when a vehicle’s actual laden weight exceeds the displayed limit. Those restrictions remain applicable because they protect infrastructure.
Facing complexity
The equalization stops at the traffic code, which is simply the first domino. Driving licenses and fiscal rules are explicitly excluded. Those rules still treat a 4.25-ton electric van differently from a 3.5-ton diesel. So fleet buyers still face complexity, as they must navigate separate rulebooks for a single vehicle.
The federal government is working through them one by one. A pilot project already allows holders of a car license B to drive electric vans up to 4.25 tons under certain conditions, with a definitive arrangement expected by the end of 2027. The conditions include a minimum two-year period for the driver’s license and mandatory registration of the vans.
The pilot counted barely fifteen vehicles across twelve companies. But only in late September, the federal council of ministers approved a draft decree on tachograph and driving-time exemptions for electric vans in Belgium. Though it hasn’t entered into force yet, it might convince more companies to apply.
Already foreseen
In any case, the new federal road code, which enters into force on 1 June 2027, already provides for changes to the traffic code for e-vans. The current decree moves the rules up by eight months to make this happen sooner.
The professional sector is pressed to switch to zero-emission alternatives. Stripping the practical annoyances – a van that suddenly becomes a truck simply because of its driveline weight – removes one of the quieter arguments against converting.
