The ACEA’s EU commercial vehicle registration numbers for 2025 are in, and the results are not good. The overall market has dropped significantly compared to 2024, albeit not as much as feared in the first half of the year. Only the bus market has grown, while electric alternatives are slowly gaining market share.
After Q2 of 2025, the European vehicle manufacturers’ association, ACEA, already sounded the alarm: the van market was down 13.2% on Q1-Q2 2024, the truck market a hefty 15.4%, and the bus market was also stalling, down 4.4% compared to the year before. However, the second half of the year saw a slight recovery, with the final numbers now in: -8.8% for vans, -6.2% for trucks, and a surprising +7.5% for the bus market.
Vans down by 8.8%, (PH)EV market share reaches over 10%
In total, 1,447,273 new vans were registered in the European Union in 2025, down from 1,586,761 in 2024. A loss heavily contributed by drops in the biggest markets: France (-5.6%), Germany (-5.4%), Italy (-5.4%), and especially the Netherlands (-84%!) registered fewer LCVs compared to last year. The only exception in the larger markets was Spain, with a +11.7% increase. Belgium also saw a 7.6% increase in LCV registrations.
In terms of powertrain types, diesel remains the fuel of choice, with an 80.7% market share. However, that number is dropping, having reached 84.4% in 2024. The main beneficiaries are electrically chargeable vehicles (PHEV and BEV mainly), with 11.2% market share across the EU (up from 6.1%).
Lots of new trucks for Lithuania, but not really anywhere else
The truck market (medium and heavy trucks combined) also saw declines in the main countries: France (-9%), Germany (-12.2%), Italy (-2.8%), and Spain (-3.6%), contributing to an overall decline of 6.2%. The main outliers are Lithuania (+58.8%), thanks to heavy investments by major transport companies, and Poland (+6.7%).
For medium and heavy trucks, electrification remains marginal, with a 4.2% market share (+1.9 pp). AlThatoes make the e-truck market larger than alternatives such as LNG and CNG (2.6%). But diesel remains king, with 93.2% market share, only slightly down from 95% in 2024.
The bus market sees huge jumps in some countries.
Finally, the European bus market has grown by 7.5% thanks to a late repechage in the second half of the year. Big contributors are Belgium (+72.5%), Germany (+28%), Hungary (+133.4%), Poland (+16.6%), and Sweden (+149%), while Czechia (-38.2%), Italy (-15.9%), and Spain (-4%) dropped the ball somewhat.
Here, the share of electrified buses is similar to that of passenger vehicles: 23.8% in 2025, up from 18.4% in 2024. Hybrid and diesel both lost market share, now representing 7% and 62.1% respectively.
“Better conditions needed for electrification”
The ACEA repeats its call to the EU for better support to electrify the commercial vehicle market. “While the overall share of electrically-chargeable vehicles increased, progress remains too slow, as market uptake remains constrained by insufficient enabling conditions. Inadequate infrastructure, high energy costs, unfavourable total cost of ownership, and inconsistent policy frameworks continue to slow progress.”
