Zero-emission vehicles made up just 0.9% of new UK HGV registrations so far this year, down from 1.4% in 2025. The drop comes despite more than 40 zero-emission truck models being on sale across over 70 vehicle segments — from tippers and tankers to refuse trucks and concrete mixers.
Uptake, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) says, is held back by the upfront cost of zero-emission trucks, depot upgrades and energy prices. Only 10 public ZEV HGV charging stations are in operation across the UK, and grid connection waits for the largest depot projects can reach 15 years, according to figures from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero cited by the association.
Proposal mirrors EU architecture
Rather than a ZEV sales quota on the car and van model, the SMMT proposes building on the existing HGV CO2 regulation — which it says is on track for a 30% cut by 2030 — with a 64% reduction target by 2035 and full ZEV sales by 2040. The trade body set out its position at the Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham on 21 April, as the Department for Transport weighs the shape of a new HGV CO2 framework following a consultation that closed in March.
That pathway aligns with the EU’s revised heavy-duty vehicle CO2 regulation, which requires manufacturers to cut new-truck emissions by 45% by 2030, 65% by 2035, and 90% by 2040 against a 2019 baseline. In March 2026, the EU Council adopted targeted flexibility measures to help manufacturers meet those targets.
Zero-emission truck uptake remains low across the continent. ACEA data shows around 0.3% of the 6.2 million trucks on EU roads are electrically chargeable.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said government regulation “must recognise the complexities of this critical market, which are far greater than the car or van sectors.” He added that the priority should be “to cut carbon in ways that accelerate fleet renewal without driving up costs.”
