On January 1, almost 228,000 vans were registered in the Netherlands with an emission class of 4 or lower. From next year, they will no longer be allowed to enter zero-emission zones unless they receive an exemption or exemption. Delivery vans with emission class 5 or 6 will have to deal with a transition period. From January 1, 2025, several municipalities will have such a zone.
The share of vans with a low emission class is decreasing, according to Statistics Netherlands. In 2020, 39 percent of all vans still had an emission label of 4 or lower. Of the companies with vans, 38 percent had a van in one of the lowest emission classes in 2022, the year for which Statistics Netherlands has the most recent figures. Because an increasingly smaller proportion of vans have a low emission class, that percentage of companies is now slightly lower, the statistics agency says.
Especially in public administration, such as municipalities or the police, and in agriculture, forestry and fishing, companies or governments often had a van in a lower emission class. Compared to companies in other sectors, they also have a relatively large number of delivery vans, according to Statistics Netherlands. Construction companies had the lowest share of vans that could be affected by the zero-emission zones.
Next year, sixteen municipalities will introduce a zero-emission zone, and a dozen other municipalities want to do so later. Municipalities are taking this measure to improve air quality in city centers and accelerate the energy transition in freight transport. The percentage of companies with a van in the low emission classes is the highest in Deventer, and the lowest in The Hague.
