Which vehicles must be fitted with a smart tachograph?

Smart tachograph improves enforcement and speeds up border-crossing registration

A tachograph records driving times, rest periods, vehicle speed and distance travelled. A smart tachograph also automatically registers when the vehicle crosses an international border. This enables more effective checks of compliance with European rules on the posting of workers and cabotage. 
Automatic border-crossing registration is also easier for drivers, as they no longer have to pull over at the border in order to manually enter the country code. 

Smart tachograph mandatory for new buses and lorries

Smart tachographs must be installed in:

• new buses and coaches capable of carrying more than eight passengers;
• new commercial goods vehicles with a maximum permissible mass exceeding 3,500kg (maximum authorised operating mass of a vehicle when fully laden) 

Smart tachograph (Smart Tacho 2) will soon be mandatory for more categories of vehicle

More vehicles will soon need to be fitted with the new smart tachograph (Smart Tacho 2 or G2V2) if the vehicle is also going to be driven outside the Netherlands. 

• All buses, coaches and heavy goods vehicles currently fitted with a second-generation tachograph (G2V1) will need to have the new smart tachograph (G2V2) installed no later than 19 August 2025.
• Light commercial vehicles (with a maximum permissible mass exceeding 2,500kg) must be fitted with the new smart tachograph (G2V2) before 1 July 2026.

Exemptions from the tachograph requirement

Certain types of vehicles are exempted from the requirement to have a tachograph installed. This applies to:

• non-commercial vehicles with a maximum permissible mass not exceeding 7,500kg, such as camper vans and recreational vehicles;
• vehicles used by professionals to carry their work equipment, such as tools. Such vehicles should not be used for more than 12 hours a week and only within a 100km radius of the place of business. 

Go to the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) website to see the full list of national exemptions and international exemptions from the tachograph requirement. 

Exemptions for fully electric vehicles

As of 1 July 2025, electric vehicles (EVs) with a fully electric drivetrain, including fuel cell EVs, are exempted from the tachograph requirement. This exemption only applies to vehicles:

• with a maximum permissible mass of 3,501 – 4,250kg;
• being operated only within the Netherlands;
• staying within a 100km radius from the business location from which they depart at the beginning of the day. 

For vehicles falling under this exemption, driver working times will be recorded digitally in a fraudproof way in the vehicle. 

ILT monitors digital tachograph data

The ILT controls compliance with driving times and rest periods by reading the data recorded on the driver cards. The ILT also checks that the tachograph is being used correctly.

During a check, the inspector reads the data on the driver card. The data stays on the card and in the tachograph, but is also copied to the inspector’s laptop.

Applying for and extending driver cards

On the Kiwa Register website, find out what types of digital driver cards are available and how you can apply for or extend the validity of a driver card. If your driver card is broken, stolen or lost, you can request a duplicate card from Kiwa Register.