According to ACEA, 171,933 new trucks and 22,590 buses were registered across the European Union in the first six months of the year. This represents year-on-year growth of 9.8% for trucks and 22.7% for buses.
The association attributes the increase in truck registrations to a recovery from a low base in the first half of 2025, while bus demand remained robust. At the same time, ACEA stresses that the market ramp-up for zero-emission commercial vehicles continues to face structural barriers. In the accompanying press release, the association states that “electrically-chargeable vehicles continued to gain market share, but uptake remains below the required pace, constrained by insufficient enabling conditions, notably in the heavier vehicle segments.”
Before examining the country rankings in detail, a brief clarification of terms: In the truck sector, ACEA divides its statistics into different weight categories. The association classifies trucks weighing between 3.5 and 16 tonnes as medium-duty trucks, and those over 16 tonnes as heavy-duty trucks – anything under 3.5 tonnes falls into the van category, which is not covered here.
For buses, ACEA does not distinguish by weight classes; all vehicles intended for passenger transport over 3.5 tonnes are recorded. Additionally, the association does not differentiate between battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, instead grouping them simply as ‘electrically chargeable’.
