Electric Pickup Trucks in Belgium: Which One?

On a worksite near Wavre in January 2026, I saw the first Maxus T90 EV in tradesman livery I had ever passed on the road. The landscaper owner had picked it for the silence and the green image with his Brussels clients. His first comment: "I can't bring the trailer with the mini-digger anymore." The T90 EV tows 1,000 kg. His old diesel Hilux towed 3,500.

The electric pickup arrived in Belgium faster than expected, but they are not all equal, and the tax argument that pushes company cars toward electric does not apply here. If you want a pickup for professional use (carrying materials, towing, a cargo bed), read the tax section first. If you want it for leisure or family use, deductibility does not concern you, and real-world range decides.

A note for the expat reader in Brussels: Belgium taxes light-utility vehicles (LCVs) very differently from passenger cars, and three regions (Brussels, Flanders, Wallonia) run their own low-emission zones (LEZ). Those acronyms matter below.

Which electric pickups can you buy in Belgium?

Four models are orderable or imminent in Belgium in 2026, plus one niche import. An electric pickup is a utility vehicle with an open cargo bed powered solely by a battery, as opposed to plug-in hybrid versions like the Ford Ranger PHEV.

The Maxus T90 EV opened the market: the first fully electric pickup sold in Europe, an 88.5 kWh LFP battery, a 130 kW rear motor. The Isuzu D-MAX EV arrives with dual-motor all-wheel drive (43 kW front, 97 kW rear) and genuine towing capacity. The Toyota Hilux BEV, expected at Toyota Belgium, claims 257 km WLTP. And the Maxus eTerron 9, from mid-2026, raises the bar with 102 kWh and 3.5 tonnes of towing.

Sources: Maxus, Isuzu and Toyota Belgium spec sheets; Le Moniteur Automobile (2024); Belgian list prices May 2026.

The Ford F-150 Lightning exists in Belgium, but only as a grey import through a handful of distributors: 588 hp, more than 4.5 tonnes of towing, higher range, price and homologation case by case. It is not a mainstream purchase.

Can an electric pickup tow a heavy trailer?

It depends entirely on the model, and the gap is huge. The Maxus T90 EV caps at 1,000 kg of braked trailer. The Isuzu D-MAX EV and Maxus eTerron 9 reach 3,500 kg, the maximum of a B licence with trailer.

Towing is the criterion that separates the gadget from the tool. A tradesman pulling a plant trailer, a farmer with a livestock box, or a private owner with a boat all need 2,000 to 3,500 kg. On that test, the T90 EV is out of the race despite its entry price: its 1,000 kg limit it to a small luggage trailer. That is the flaw that annoyed my Wavre landscaper.

The eTerron 9 fixes this with its claimed 3.5 tonnes, and the D-MAX EV keeps Isuzu's workhorse reputation. But watch the range: towing halves it. A pickup claiming 300 real km drops to 150 km with a loaded trailer hitched, sometimes less in winter. On the E411 toward the Ardennes, that forces a charging stop the diesel would never have needed.

What real-world range can you expect from an electric pickup?

Expect 250 to 320 km in real conditions for 2026 models, versus 330 to 430 km claimed in WLTP. A pickup is a heavy aerodynamic brick: its consumption climbs fast on the motorway.

The factory figure is fine. The real figure is this: the Isuzu D-MAX EV gives 263 km WLTP, which suggests 210 to 230 km in mild weather and far less at 120 km/h loaded. The Maxus T90 EV swings between 330 and 354 km WLTP depending on the source, about 260 to 290 km in reality. The eTerron 9 and its 102 kWh battery target up to 430 km WLTP, the only one of the group aiming at comfortable inter-urban use.

Charging follows the same utility profile as the car. The T90 EV goes from 20 to 80% in 45 minutes on DC, which is slow for a work vehicle where every break costs money. In rural Wallonia, where fast chargers are still scarce between villages, this is a point to plan seriously before signing.

How is an electric pickup taxed in Belgium?

A pickup homologated as a light-utility vehicle (under 3.5 tonnes laden) stays 100% deductible for a company after 2026, whether electric or diesel. This is the big difference with company cars, which are subject to the zero-emission requirement to keep their deductibility.

Concretely, this changes the whole reasoning. For a company car, Belgian tax law forces the move to electric from 2026. For a pickup homologated as a van, the diesel keeps its full deductibility. According to specialist tax advisers (Accountable, link2fleet, 2026), the company-car reform does not apply to light-utility vehicles. The electric pickup must therefore justify itself through running cost and image, not through an automatic tax advantage.

The "fake utility vehicle" trap deserves attention. Since 2022 in Wallonia, a utility vehicle must be registered to a person or legal entity listed in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (BCE) to keep the favourable regime. A private individual with no business activity who buys an electric pickup therefore pays the taxation of an ordinary car, green image or not.

What about secondary self-employment?

A secondary self-employed person registered with the BCE can benefit from the utility regime and VAT deduction pro-rata to professional use. The condition is real use: the tax authority treats home-to-work trips as private. A mileage logbook beats a finger-in-the-air estimate.

Is VAT recoverable at 100%?

Rarely 100% in practice. VAT is recovered to the extent of demonstrated professional use, and the pickup must serve mainly to transport goods for the business to open that right. Mixed use drops the percentage, usually calculated pro-rata to professional kilometres.

Single or double cab to qualify as a van?

The single cab with a long bed more easily meets the technical criteria of a van. The double cab often qualifies, but it is the first to be reclassified as a car by the tax authority if the bed is too short. Check the N1 homologation on the certificate of conformity before buying.

Electric or diesel pickup: which to choose in Belgium?

For intensive professional use with heavy towing and long rural trips, the diesel remains the rational choice in Belgium today. For urban and suburban use with home charging, electric becomes relevant.

The diesel pickup keeps three decisive advantages in 2026: 3.5 tonnes of towing with no range loss, a five-minute fill-up, and tax deductibility identical to electric in a company. Against this, electric offers silence, a lower cost per kilometre if you charge at home, unrestricted access to the low-emission zones of Antwerp, Ghent and Brussels, and zero engine maintenance.

The honest maths: if you tow heavy more than once a week and drive in rural Wallonia, wait for the next generation. If you mostly do light transport in urban areas and charge overnight at the depot, the D-MAX EV or eTerron 9 already work. The T90 EV only convinces for urban use without a trailer.

The tradesman's reflex is to look at price and range. The real test is the trailer. I watched a landscaper return his T90 EV after three months, not because it lacked range, but because he could no longer tow his mini-digger. An electric pickup is judged with a full bed and a hitched trailer, not on the dealer's spec sheet.

Technical criteria to check before buying

Five points decide whether an electric pickup suits Belgian use, in this order. Towing capacity first: 1,000 kg or 3,500 kg is not the same vehicle nor the same trade. Homologation next: an N1 certificate of conformity governs the whole utility tax regime. The bed payload, often eaten into by the battery weight on electric versions. Real range under load, to be halved when towing. And the charging available on your routes, the weak point in rural Wallonia where the fast network is still patchy.

A sixth, quieter criterion: battery warranty and service network. Maxus and Isuzu are building their Belgian presence, but the network stays thinner than Toyota's or Ford's. For a sidelined work vehicle that costs money every day, a nearby workshop matters as much as the spec sheet.