EU commercial vehicle market contracts in 2025

The European commercial vehicle market remained under pressure in the first nine months of 2025, as new registration figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) reveal broad-based declines across most vehicle categories. Only the bus segment posted growth, highlighting uneven demand amid challenging economic conditions and a slow transition toward zero-emission mobility.

Overall, EU van registrations fell by 8.2%, truck registrations dropped 9.8%, while bus registrations rose 3.6% between January and September 2025.

Van market weakened by downturn in major economies

The EU van segment continued to struggle, recording an 8.2% contraction in new registrations during the first three quarters of the year. The three largest markets – France (-8.3%), Italy (-6.1%), and Germany (-6%) – all saw declines, dragging down the overall total. In contrast, Spain bucked the trend with a strong 13.3% increase, offering a rare bright spot in the segment.

Diesel remains the dominant powertrain for vans, holding an 81.7% market share, despite an 11.4% drop in volumes to 877,079 units. Petrol vans fell sharply by 29.8%, now representing just 4.7% of the market.

Electrically-chargeable vans continued to gain traction, accounting for 10.2% of new registrations – up from 5.7% a year earlier – while hybrid vans grew 15.1%, albeit from a small base, with a 2.6% share.

Truck demand contracts across all key markets

The EU truck market also contracted significantly, with registrations down 9.8% to 225,483 units in the first nine months of 2025. The decline was driven by reduced demand for both heavy trucks (-9%) and medium trucks (-13.5%). All major EU markets experienced losses, led by Germany (-17.9%) and France (-13.4%), both posting double-digit drops.

Despite the downturn, electrification continued to advance. Electrically-chargeable trucks accounted for 3.8% of new registrations, nearly doubling their share from 2.1% a year earlier. Growth was strongest in The Netherlands (+192.3%), Germany (+32.9%), and France (+27.2%), which together represented around two-thirds of all electric truck sales in the EU. Diesel remained the dominant fuel, making up 93.5% of new truck registrations, though volumes declined by 11.5% year-on-year.

Bus segment shows resilience with electrification surge

In contrast to vans and trucks, the EU bus market recorded a modest recovery, with registrations rising 3.6% to 28,417 units by the end of Q3 2025. Growth was concentrated in Poland (+16.9%) and Germany (+12.8%), while Italy (-16.9%), Spain (-11.3%), and France (-4.5%) saw continued declines.

The transition toward zero-emission buses accelerated significantly. Electrically-chargeable buses captured 22.7% of the EU market, up sharply from last year. Germany led in volume and achieved a 108% increase, while Sweden (+684.3%) and Belgium (+389.3%) posted exceptional gains. Hybrid-electric bus registrations fell 32.7%, reducing their market share to 6.3%, while diesel buses saw a marginal 0.1% decline, maintaining a 64.2% share of the total market.

Electrification progresses, but challenges persist

ACEA noted that while the share of electrically-chargeable vehicles continues to rise across all segments, the pace of growth remains insufficient to meet the EU’s climate ambitions. The association cited the “near absence of key enabling conditions” – including charging infrastructure, supportive policies, and fleet incentives – as ongoing barriers to faster electrification in the commercial vehicle sector.