The Netherlands runs Europe’s most instructive purchase-subsidy machine. AanZET (Aanschaf Zero-Emissie Trucks) opened its 2026 first round on 27 January with €78 million, offering up to €115,200 per zero-emission truck depending on weight class, with applications for the current round running to 7 May 2027 or until funds are exhausted — and in practice funds, not deadlines, are the binding constraint. A second application window opens 29 September 2026.

The mechanics reward preparation over speed-reading. Applications are processed in order of receipt, so the realistic deadline is the first days of the window, not the last. The file requires the vehicle’s eligibility (zero tailpipe emission, type-approved, listed by the RVO), the buyer’s Dutch registration, and a binding purchase agreement or order — which means the procurement process must conclude before, not after, the grant window. Fleets that start vendor selection in September are applying for next year’s money.

AanZET does not act alone, and the stack is the point. Layer the grant (up to €115,200) on the CO₂-graded Dutch truck toll live since 1 July (zero-emission ≈ €0.038/km vs diesel ≈ €0.204/km — worth roughly €25,000 a year at corridor mileage) and the arithmetic explains the market outcome: Dutch electric truck registrations doubled in 2025 to 2,025 units, the fastest growth of any large EU market. Subsidy design, executed competently, moves metal.

Cross-border note for Belgian and German fleets: AanZET eligibility follows the buyer’s establishment, not the route. A Flemish fleet running Antwerp–Rotterdam corridors cannot claim it — but enjoys the same toll asymmetry on the Dutch network, and the Flemish CO₂-graded charge mirrors the Dutch one at home. The corridor is, in incentive terms, one laboratory with two funding agencies.

What to do with this

If a Dutch entity is in your group structure, have the vehicle shortlist, quotes and board approval done by mid-September; the 29 September window will not wait for procurement. Track any rule changes in our Subsidy Watch Netherlands page.