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HVZES Rebate Cut for Light Electric Trucks: What Changed on 3 September 2026

Policy Update · 4 min read

LTA has revised the Heavy Vehicle Zero Emissions Scheme (HVZES) effective 3 September 2026. If you're weighing up an electric truck against a diesel one right now, this changes the maths — especially for lighter models like the eMiler, eAumark, and eCanter. Here's exactly what changed and what it means for your purchase.

What changed

HVZES incentives are now split by weight. Zero-tailpipe heavy vehicles with a Maximum Laden Weight (MLW) of more than 3,500kg and up to 7,000kg see their incentive cut from $40,000 to $15,000. Vehicles above 7,000kg MLW are untouched — they continue to receive the full $40,000.

ModelMLW bracketOld incentiveNew incentive
eMiler3,500–7,000kg$40,000$15,000
eAumark3,500–7,000kg$40,000$15,000
eCanter3,500–7,000kg$40,000$15,000
eAuman D>7,000kg$40,000$40,000 — unchanged

The disbursement schedule for the reduced tier is also different — $5,000 at registration, $5,000 at the first anniversary, and $5,000 at the second anniversary, spread over two years instead of three tranches of the old $13k/$13k/$14k structure.

If you have a COE secured already: LTA has drawn the line at the bidding exercise, not the registration date. Zero-tailpipe heavy vehicles registered on a COE obtained before the first September 2026 bidding round still qualify for the full $40,000, regardless of weight. Only COEs from that round onward fall under the new $15,000 rate. If you're mid-purchase, it's worth checking exactly which bidding round your COE came from before assuming either number applies.

Why LTA made the change

LTA's own numbers show why: zero-tailpipe heavy vehicles went from under 1% of new heavy vehicle registrations in 2025 to around 30% by July 2026, and lighter zero-tailpipe models made up 55% of new registrations in their segment that same month. As more light electric truck models have entered the market and the price gap against diesel equivalents has narrowed, LTA has judged that the original $40,000 incentive is no longer needed to move the segment — so it's being redirected toward the heavier vehicles that still face a bigger cost gap.

What this means if you're comparing options

Sticker price alone, a $15,000 rebate makes it harder for a light electric truck to undercut an equivalent diesel unit on day one. Take the eMiler: at $72,800 before rebate, even after the new $15,000 incentive it lands close to — and in some comparisons above — diesel alternatives in the same weight class. That's a real shift from where things stood a month ago.

But the day-one price isn't the whole picture. Three things are worth weighing before writing off the electric option:

The honest answer is that the case for going electric on the lighter end of the fleet is now a total-cost-of-ownership conversation rather than a straightforward "cheaper today" argument. It still works out favourably for a lot of businesses — but it now takes a proper side-by-side to show that, rather than the rebate doing the convincing on its own.

What stays the same

If you're looking at the eAuman D or any zero-tailpipe heavy vehicle above 7,000kg MLW, nothing has changed — the full $40,000 incentive still applies, staged the same way it always has. The scheme itself also isn't going anywhere: HVZES continues to run until 31 December 2028.

In practice: we run the numbers on a like-for-like basis — rebate, road tax, servicing, and fuel/electricity cost — for whatever model you're comparing, so you're deciding on total cost, not just the number on the price tag.

Not sure how this affects your quote?

Message us your model and COE timing and we'll confirm exactly which rebate rate applies.

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This article is general information for Singapore SME buyers and isn't financial or tax advice. HVZES eligibility and incentive amounts depend on your vehicle's certified MLW and, for COE vehicles, the specific bidding exercise your COE was obtained in — always confirm current figures with us before making a purchase decision. Source: LTA news release, "Adjustments to the Heavy Vehicle Zero Emissions Scheme," 2 September 2026.