Rotterdam set to ban most polluting vans from January 1

It will not be possible for delivery vans that are not in the highest emissions class of Euro 5 or 6 to drive in most parts of Rotterdam from January 1, 2025. The euro 5 or 6 vehicles will also be banned in the following years. The aim is for all delivery vehicles to be emissions-free in the city from 2028 onwards.

According to the municipal government, the measures are necessary as the growth in residents also increases the number of logistical movements from commercial vehicles and trucks.

“This has a negative effect on accessibility and traffic safety and is a relatively big cause of polluted air and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions. City logistics is good for around 13 percent of the kilometers in the city but causes a relatively high percentage of the emissions, 24 percent of the CO and 80 percent of the nitric oxide,” said the mayor and aldermen.

The so-called Zero-Emission Zone Rotterdam covers roughly most of the city within the ring roads, with the exception of the port area. Trucks must also be emissions-free by 2030 to drive in the city.

The higher the emissions class, the less damaging substances like particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides the vehicle emits. This scale goes from the least clean emissions class, 0, to the cleanest emissions class, 6.