Buses in September: Electric, Hybrid, and Hydrogen Buses Outperform Diesel
Electric buses, along with hydrogen and hybrid buses, surpassed diesel vehicles in the first nine months of 2026: data from Anfia clearly shows this. Zero-emission and low-emission vehicles accounted for 43%, compared to 42.5% for diesel vehicles. Excluding hybrids, diesel still holds a slight advantage of 2.4 percentage points, equivalent to 127 registrations. This narrow gap confirms that the transition is already underway. The situation is reversed in the electric truck sector, where registrations dropped by 47.7% between 2025 and 2026. Here, diesel continues to dominate unchallenged. Moreover, there is a lack of policy support for promoting electric vehicles in this sector.
Sustained growth, but Anfia warns about Pnrr funding
As of September 2026, Italy’s bus market for vehicles with a total weight over 3,500 kg includes 527 new units, representing a 2.5% increase from September 2025. Minibuses continue to show positive growth, rising by triple digits (+190.2%), as does the entire segment of buses over 3,500 kg. This is according to Anfia’s analysis based on data from the Ministry of Transport.
Electric buses have experienced strong growth, with a change of +116%, accounting for 1,970 units compared to 911 in 2025, an increase of nearly a thousand battery-powered buses. Hydrogen buses are also on the rise, as shown in the table, though in absolute terms there are about 170 such buses, concentrated in a few cities. Diesel hybrid buses have seen a 50% decline, while diesel buses continue to grow (+10%).
"The bus market continues to show positive trends, but sales volumes still largely reflect the backlog from registrations tied to the Pnrr," says Paolo Marini, president of ANFIA’s Bus Section. "Beyond the resources provided by the National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Mobility, there is currently a lack of a structural vision for an European industry that remains increasingly exposed to Asian competition."
Bus retrofits in the UK, diesel ban by 2030. PETL’s strategy with Kleandrive
A uncertain future, then. “That’s why, in addition to advocating for the establishment of a sufficient structural fund allocated to this sector, we are working to promote Made in Europe: the Industrial Accelerator Act and the revision of European regulations on public procurement represent important opportunities to strengthen the principle of European preference and safeguard the production capacity, expertise, and autonomy of the bus industry.”
Registrations related to Pnrr are declining, but the latest Lombardy tender worth 113 million remains significant. It will be important to monitor market trends in the first months of 2027.
Trucks: Electric models without incentives are in freefall
"It is necessary to swiftly activate the multi-year fund for renewing freight transport fleets, announced last December and intended to replace the Investment Fund, which will not be renewed for 2026," comments Luca Sra, ANFIA’s representative for freight transport. "The absence of this mechanism severely impacts a fleet that is among the oldest in Europe, with an average age of nearly twenty years compared to fourteen years for the continent’s average. This results in fewer investments in safer and more efficient vehicles, as well as a slowdown in the adoption of alternative fuels such as bio-GNL, which could help decarbonize the sector while respecting the principle of technological neutrality. To maintain the competitiveness of the industry, even amid high international volatility, it is necessary to extend adjustment mechanisms to all fuels.
「addressing the rise in energy costs and reintroducing tax incentives to support sustainable investments».DHL moves from vans to electric trucks, starting in the Netherlands with the eTopas 600
Compared to Britain, for example, we are millions of light-years behind. In addition to incentives that truly reduce the cost gap by up to 120,000 euros, 40 dedicated charging stations have been funded. Not to mention continuous monitoring of 170 trucks to gather data useful for improving vehicle usage.
READ ALSO: What we saw at the Genoa Show and watch the VIDEO
Previous Article
After the damage, what about used Leapmotor T03s?
Next Article
Satisfied electric vehicle customers? Brand ratings by brand