Between January and September 2025, new EU truck registrations fell by 9.8%, to 225,483 units. The decline was particularly steep in Germany (-17.9%) and France (-13.4%), the two largest truck markets in the Union.
Across the Channel, the UK truck market also weakened, with registrations down 10.1% to 36,151 units. The contraction was similar in scale to the EU average, reflecting the challenging trading environment for road freight operators on both sides of the Channel.
ACEA pointed to a difficult economic backdrop that continues to weigh on freight demand. Both heavy trucks (down 9%) and medium trucks (down 13.5%) saw fewer new registrations compared to the same period last year.
Electric trucks advance despite headwinds
One bright spot in the data is the steady growth of electrically-chargeable trucks, whose share of the EU market nearly doubled year-on-year to 3.8%. The Netherlands, Germany and France were at the forefront of this trend, together accounting for two-thirds of all electric truck sales.
The UK, however, still reports very limited electric truck registrations: an indication that the transition remains in its early stages compared with mainland Europe.
Even so, diesel continues to dominate the market, representing 93.5% of all new registrations. However, diesel volumes dropped by 11.5% over the period, underlining a slow but consistent shift in fleet composition.
Van market follows the same pattern
Vans mirrored the overall decline, with registrations across the EU falling 8.2% in the first nine months of the year. The three largest markets – France, Italy and Germany – all recorded losses, while Spain stood out with a 13.3% increase in new registrations.
In the UK, van sales dropped by 9.9% to 241,783 units, continuing the downward trend seen earlier in the year. Diesel models accounted for the majority of sales but declined by 16.4%, while electrically-chargeable vans rose modestly, up 8% year-on-year.
Actually, diesel remains the preferred fuel type for van buyers thoughout Europe, but its share slipped to 81.7%, from 84.6% a year earlier. Electrically-chargeable vans continued to gain traction, capturing a 10.2% market share compared to 5.7% in 2024.
Diesel dominance slowly erodes
Although diesel vehicles still make up the bulk of new commercial vehicle registrations, their market share continues to decline. ACEA warned that the transition to zero-emission models remains “too slow”, mainly due to the lack of charging infrastructure and limited financial incentives.
Across the EU, diesel’s share stands at 81.7% for vans, 93.5% for trucks and 64.2% for buses—all slightly lower than a year ago.
