Electric Truck TCO Calculator
Is a battery-electric tractor cheaper than diesel for your fleet? Compare the total cost of ownership of diesel, battery-electric and diesel on HVO100 over the years you keep a truck, with sourced defaults for the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.
Your scenario
Usage
Truck
Subsidy and charger
Energy
Running costs
Truck toll
Total cost of ownership, 5 years
CO₂e, well-to-wheel
What would make electric win
Electric already wins. The value at which it would lose its lead, one input at a time.
Cumulative cost per year
Day one is the purchase (minus subsidy, plus charger); each year adds energy, maintenance, insurance, road tax and toll. The resale value comes back on the last day.
Cost breakdown over 5 years
| Cost item | Diesel | Battery-electric | Diesel on HVO100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truck (price minus resale, or lease) | €109,440 | €276,120 | €109,440 |
| Subsidy | €0 | -€0 | €0 |
| Charger | €0 | €85,000 | €0 |
| Energy | €372,454 | €166,437 | €372,454 |
| Maintenance | €110,075 | €78,778 | €110,075 |
| Insurance | €16,265 | €37,880 | €16,265 |
| Road tax | €3,140 | €3,140 | €3,140 |
| Truck toll | €98,056 | €19,040 | €98,056 |
| Total cost of ownership | €709,430 | €666,395 | €709,430 |
| Per km | €1.192 | €1.120 | €1.192 |
Defaults and sources
The defaults for Netherlands, each with its source and date. They are a starting point: your own quotes and contracts beat any average.
| Input | Default | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kilometres per year | 119,000 km | ICCT (2023), TCO of truck decarbonization pathways in Europe · Nov 2023 |
| Share of km on tolled roads | 80 % | ICCT (2023), TCO of truck decarbonization pathways in Europe · Nov 2023 |
| Diesel tractor price | €152,000 | ICCT (2023), TCO of truck decarbonization pathways in Europe · Nov 2023 |
| Electric tractor price | €354,000 | ICCT (2023), TCO of truck decarbonization pathways in Europe · Nov 2023 |
| Diesel resale value | 28 % | ICCT (2023), TCO of truck decarbonization pathways in Europe · Nov 2023 |
| Electric resale value | 22 % | ICCT (2023), TCO of truck decarbonization pathways in Europe · Nov 2023 |
| Diesel lease | — | No reliable published figure: enter your own |
| Electric lease | — | No reliable published figure: enter your own |
| Purchase subsidy (electric) | €0 | RVO, AanZET · Oct 2026 |
| Depot charger, installed | €85,000 | NAL, Handreiking depotladen · 2022 |
| Diesel consumption | 30.7 L/100 km | ICCT (2023), TCO of truck decarbonization pathways in Europe · Nov 2023 |
| Electric consumption | 138 kWh/100 km | ICCT (2023), TCO of truck decarbonization pathways in Europe · Nov 2023 |
| Diesel price excl. VAT | €2.039/L | EU Weekly Oil Bulletin · Nov 2026 |
| HVO100 premium over diesel | — | No reliable published figure: enter your own |
| Depot electricity price | €0.203/kWh | Eurostat nrg_pc_205, band IC · Jun 2026 |
| Public fast-charging price | €0.399/kWh | Milence charging tariffs · Nov 2026 |
| Share charged in public | — | No reliable published figure: enter your own |
| Diesel maintenance | €0.185/km | ICCT (2023), TCO of truck decarbonization pathways in Europe · Nov 2023 |
| Electric maintenance | €0.132/km | ICCT (2023), TCO of truck decarbonization pathways in Europe · Nov 2023 |
| Diesel insurance | €3,253/year | ICCT (2023), TCO of truck decarbonization pathways in Europe · Nov 2023 |
| Electric insurance | €7,576/year | ICCT (2023), TCO of truck decarbonization pathways in Europe · Nov 2023 |
| Diesel road tax | €628/year | Belastingdienst, mrb vrachtauto · Jul 2026 |
| Electric road tax | €628/year | Belastingdienst, mrb vrachtauto · Jul 2026 |
| Truck toll | — | vrachtwagenheffing.nl · rate per year of ownership from the official tariff |
| CO₂e | — | GLEC Framework v3.2 · EcoTransIT World 2025 |
Electric truck TCO: frequently asked questions
What is the total cost of ownership (TCO) of a truck?
TCO is everything a truck costs you over the years you keep it: the purchase price minus the resale value (or the lease), energy, maintenance, insurance, road tax and truck tolls, minus any subsidy. Comparing TCO instead of purchase prices is what makes an electric truck comparable with diesel: it costs more to buy and less to run.
When does an electric truck break even with diesel?
When its lower running costs have paid back its higher purchase price. The break-even year depends mostly on kilometres per year, the price you pay for electricity versus diesel and the toll you save. The more kilometres on tolled roads, the sooner it comes; a truck that drives little may never break even within its holding period.
What electricity price should I use for an electric truck?
Use your own contract price for depot charging, excluding VAT, plus the share you expect to charge at public truck chargers. Public fast charging costs several times more per kWh than a depot contract, so the charging mix often decides the outcome. The levers on this page show the depot price at which electric and diesel cost the same.
How much toll does an electric truck save?
All three countries rate truck toll by CO₂ class, and zero-emission trucks are class 5. In Germany they pay no Lkw-Maut until 30 June 2031. In the Netherlands the vrachtwagenheffing for a zero-emission truck over 32 t is a fraction of the Euro VI rate, and in Flanders the kilometre charge drops to a few cents per km. Wallonia charges zero-emission trucks the Euro VI rate.
Which subsidies exist for electric trucks?
Purchase subsidies come and go with each year's budget. This calculator loads the scheme that was open for each country when its defaults were checked, and leaves the field at 0 where no scheme was open. Check the official page before you order: most schemes require you to apply before signing the purchase contract.
Is HVO100 a cheaper way to cut CO₂ than an electric truck?
HVO100 runs in most modern diesel trucks without changes, so there is no extra investment, only a higher price per litre. It cuts well-to-wheel CO₂e by about 70% with the GLEC default factor. It does not lower truck tolls: the toll class follows the truck's certified CO₂ emissions, not the fuel in the tank.
What resale value should I assume for an electric truck?
Nobody knows yet: there is hardly a second-hand market for electric trucks, and battery health will drive their price. Run the calculator with a low and a high resale value. If electric only wins with an optimistic resale value, a lease that fixes the end value can take that risk off your balance sheet.
How is the CO₂ saving calculated?
Well-to-wheel, the way ISO 14083 prescribes: litres of diesel or HVO100 times the GLEC v3.2 factor per litre, and kWh times the emission factor of the national grid mix. An electric truck is not zero: its emissions are in power generation. The cost per tonne avoided shows what each option costs for every tonne of CO₂e it saves.