According to a study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), electric trucks and buses reached half a million units and a market share of nearly 14%, largely driven by China’s expansion in the truck segment.
Electric trucks and buses crossed the half-million-unit mark globally in 2025, with sales nearly doubling (+86%) for the second consecutive year, driven largely by China’s electric truck sales.
Sales picked up speed across major markets, with the European Union, India, Brazil, and the United Kingdom recording double-digit increases, fueled mostly by electric bus expansion, while the United States saw modest growth of about 2% despite regulatory rollbacks.
Dominant China
China accounted for nearly 90% of global electric truck and bus sales, registering impressive growth in the medium and heavy truck segments, where sales have more than quintupled over two years.
Nearly 30% of China’s heavy truck sales were fully electric in 2025. Declining battery costs and strong local support policies have helped advance electrification in these segments, according to a study released last week by the ICCT.
“In a sector traditionally defined by low profit margins, the long-term economic case for battery electric trucks is becoming clear, and China offers lessons to draw from,” said Shiyue Mao, ICCT researcher and lead author of the report. “Battery electric trucks offer operational cost advantages which have made the case for truck electrification very compelling,” he added.
Electric bus sales up in most regions, Chile sticks out
Battery electric buses, which made up 17% of global bus sales in 2025, lead the transition of commercial vehicles towards electrification across most regions. Excluding China and the United States, battery electric buses accounted for over half (56%) of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicle sales, with the European Union and India leading in volume at around 9,800 and 5,000 units, respectively.
Globally, Chile registered the highest battery electric bus sales growth (+299%), driven by its long-term strategy towards city bus electrification. Its market share jumped from 26% in 2024 to 45% in 2025. Other significant increases were in Canada (+188%), Brazil (+161%) and Thailand (+34%).
“Chile’s electric bus success shows electrification isn’t confined to certain regions. Despite changes in government, the capital, Santiago, has remained committed to fleet electrification for over a decade, combining public contracts with import policies that attract domestic and foreign investors. The result: cheaper transport and cleaner air for people,” says Felipe Rodríguez, ICCT Heavy-Duty Vehicles Program Director.
Electric truck market outside China just starting up
In contrast to the bus market, battery electric truck sales remained relatively low, reaching about 41,000 units sold when excluding China. Still, some regions saw the effects of recently adopted policies, wider model availability, and increasingly favorable economics for more vehicle segments.
In the United States, electric truck sales reached about 24,500 units, predominantly medium-duty delivery vehicles, up 5% from 2024, while heavy truck sales slightly declined. Overall, sales remained unchanged despite the backtracking of major regulations such as the Phase 3 greenhouse gas standards and the states’ waiver to implement the Advanced Clean Trucks rule.
In the European Union, electric truck sales increased by 71% in 2025, reaching a 4.5% market share. This rise is supported by the first-ever CO2 emission targets for truck manufacturers introduced in July 2025, which require a 15% reduction. The market share for medium trucks doubled from around 10% in 2024 to 21% in 2025.
In the United Kingdom, where policy support is increasing with new zero-emission vehicle sales targets under discussion, electric truck sales increased from 345 in 2024 to 677 units in 2025. India, which has implemented truck subsidies and incentives nationally and locally, saw their electric truck sales more than double to 767 units.
