The European Union’s commercial vehicle market saw a marked contraction in the first half of 2025, with new registrations of vans, trucks and buses all declining amid a persistently weak economic climate. While zero-emission vehicles continued to gain market share, the pace of electrification remains constrained by limited infrastructure and investment incentives.
According to the latest figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), new truck registrations fell by 15.4% year-on-year across the EU, totalling 155,367 units. Vans declined by 13.2%, while bus registrations dropped by 4.4%.
Steep decline in truck market across Europe
The EU truck market (medium and heavy vehicles over 3.5 tonnes) was hit particularly hard. The downturn affected nearly all major economies, with the sharpest drops seen in:
- Germany: 37,994 units (–27.5%)
- France: 23,167 units (–18.8%)
- Spain: 14,044 units (–13.6%)
- Italy: 14,535 units (–13.3%)
Among individual markets, Lithuania recorded the strongest growth, more than doubling its truck registrations to 6,668 units; a 113.6% increase compared to the same period last year. Sweden’s truck market remained largely stable, slipping just 0.4% year-on-year to 3,043 units.
In contrast, the overall EU market contracted sharply, with total new truck registrations falling from 183,668 units in the first half of 2024 to 155,367 in 2025.
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Electrically-chargeable trucks rise, led by the Netherlands
Despite the overall market downturn, the share of electrically-chargeable trucks in the EU increased significantly, rising by 46.1% to reach 5,568 units, or approximately 3.6% of the market (up from 2.1% in H1 2024).
The Netherlands led the electric truck surge with 978 units, a +187.6% year-on-year increase. Germany and France also saw notable growth, recording 1,881 and 768 electric truck registrations respectively. Smaller markets like Sweden (475 units) and Belgium (151 units) also showed strong growth.
Meanwhile, hybrid-electric trucks fell by 35.5% to 1,247 units, and trucks powered by alternative fuels (e.g. LPG, CNG, ethanol) also declined sharply.
Diesel remains dominant but continues to shrink
Diesel trucks remain the backbone of Europe’s freight sector, accounting for 93.6% of new truck registrations in the EU. However, diesel volumes fell by 17.0%, from 175,167 units in H1 2024 to 145,411 units this year.
This decline was mirrored in the wider EU+EFTA+UK market, where total diesel truck registrations dropped from 205,887 to 171,329 units (–16.8%).
United Kingdom and EFTA trends
In the UK, truck registrations dropped by 11.2%, falling to 23,907 units. Electrically-chargeable trucks grew modestly (+81.8%, to 1,142 units), but remained a small share of the overall market.
The EFTA region (Norway, Switzerland, Iceland) experienced a smaller overall decline (–16.7%), totalling 4,656 units, with Norway and Switzerland showing moderate resilience.
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Growth in electric still too slow
While electrically-chargeable trucks made clear year-on-year gains, their total volume remains low relative to diesel. ACEA warned that the growth trajectory remains insufficient given the bloc’s decarbonisation targets, citing the lack of charging infrastructure, grid capacity, and targeted public funding as persistent barriers.
Europe’s truck market slowed sharply in the first half of 2025, with new registrations across the EU down 15.4% year-on-year. Although sales of electric trucks rose in some markets, their overall share remains modest, reflecting the slow pace of the sector’s transition away from diesel.
