Battery-electric trucks gain ground in key markets; electric buses near-ubiquitous
European customers are buying more buses and trucks again. This is evident from the latest commercial vehicle figures for the first three quarters of 2026, published by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA). Across all powertrain types, the EU’s total markets grew by 7.5 per cent to 245,079 trucks (3.5 tonnes and above) and by 15.2 per cent to 32,695 buses. ACEA describes the growth in trucks as a “recovery from a low base”, as demand had temporarily cooled significantly in 2025. In contrast, the association interprets the bus market figures as performing “strongly [with] solid growth”. Meanwhile, the share of plug-in electric vehicles in the powertrain mix continues to rise.
Let’s break it down step by step: quarter by quarter, ACEA maps the development of the commercial vehicle markets in the EU and across Europe. Although the association also reports figures for vans, this report excludes them and focuses solely on trucks of 3.5 tonnes and above and buses. In the first three quarters of 2026, diesel accounted for a dominant 91.7 per cent of EU truck registrations (+6.6 per cent year-on-year). The share of plug-in electric trucks increased by 49.9 per cent, reaching a market penetration of 5.3 per cent (compared to 3.8 per cent last year). In other words: one in every 20 new trucks is now a plug-in vehicle. Germany (+77.2 per cent year-on-year), France (+60.2 per cent year-on-year), and the Netherlands (+57.5 per cent) led this expansion. Together, these three markets accounted for 74 per cent of total registrations in this segment.
Poland records remarkable electric bus growth
For buses, new registrations of e-buses grew by 37.6 per cent in the first nine months of the year, increasing their market share from 22.1 to 26.4 per cent. Italy, now the largest market in terms of total registrations, saw particularly strong e-bus growth (+116 per cent year-on-year). Notably, Poland has also seen significant development, with 1,000 new e-buses already recorded in the statistics after three out of four quarters (+557 per cent year-on-year). More on this shortly. According to ACEA, registrations of diesel buses and non-plug-in hybrid buses also increased (+5 per cent and +24 per cent year-on-year, respectively), reaching market shares of 58.4 and 6.9 per cent between January and September.
Before we take a closer look at the country rankings, a brief clarification of terms: In the truck sector, ACEA divides its statistics into different weight categories. Medium-duty trucks include all vehicles from 3.5 to 16 tonnes, while heavy-duty trucks cover all vehicles from 16 tonnes upwards – anything below 3.5 tonnes falls under the van category, which is not addressed here. For buses, ACEA does not distinguish by weight classes; instead, it simply records all vehicles over 3.5 tonnes intended for passenger transport. Additionally, the association does not differentiate between purely battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, grouping them together under the category of “electrically chargeable”.
Medium-duty e-trucks reach 20 per cent registration share
Now, let’s dive into the statistics: Focusing on medium-duty trucks between 3.5 and 16 tonnes, it becomes clear that this segment saw only a slight increase across the EU, with around 39,000 units (+2.5 per cent year-on-year). However, within this class, plug-in vehicles (7,753 units, +44 per cent year-on-year) performed strongly. As a result, plug-in electric trucks in this weight category now account for 19.8 per cent of registrations. For comparison, in the same period in 2025, the market share was just 14.1 per cent. This once again demonstrates that medium-duty e-trucks are primarily driving the electrification of the European truck market.
In the first nine months of 2026 alone, 3,879 medium-duty e-trucks were registered in Germany, accounting for exactly 50 per cent of all newly registered e-trucks across the EU. Consequently, Germany’s growth rate of 72 per cent is significantly above the EU average. Other countries with high growth rates and substantial volumes include the Netherlands (1,195 units, +40 per cent year-on-year), France (974, +86 per cent year-on-year), Spain (320, +36 per cent year-on-year), and Poland (135, +90 per cent year-on-year). In contrast, figures declined sharply in Italy (200, -56 per cent) and Belgium (42, -58 per cent year-on-year). Sweden saw little change (443, +5 per cent year-on-year). Expanding the view to all of Europe, the UK is Germany’s closest follower in this segment, with 2,960 e-trucks up to 16 tonnes (+55 per cent year-on-year). The EFTA states Iceland (94, +571 per cent year-on-year) and Norway (445, +104 per cent year-on-year) also saw strong growth in this category.
Germany leads in heavy-duty e-trucks
Heavy-duty trucks from 16 tonnes account for the far larger volume in the EU. Out of 205,857 total registrations (+8.5 per cent year-on-year), 5,120 were e-trucks between January and September – representing a 2.5 per cent share (compared to 1.7 per cent last year). Germany stands out here as well, with 1,722 units (+91 per cent year-on-year), reflecting a strong growth dynamic compared to the full year 2025 (+38 per cent over 2024). This means that 33.6 per cent of all heavy-duty e-trucks in the EU were registered in Germany in the first three quarters, driving growth across the entire EU. Other countries above the EU average growth rate of +59.9 per cent year-on-year in this segment include the Netherlands (1,022 units, +84 per cent year-on-year), Austria (393, +84 per cent year-on-year), and Denmark (271, +62 per cent year-on-year).
Switzerland also deserves special mention in the e-truck category. The small Alpine nation recorded 605 heavy-duty e-trucks (+62 per cent year-on-year) in the year to date, achieving a 24 per cent e-share in this weight class—the highest in Europe. For comparison, ACEA reports a 4.2 per cent e-share for heavy-duty trucks in Germany. Only Norway (14.4 per cent e-share for new heavy-duty trucks), the Netherlands, and Sweden (11.1 and 10.3 per cent, respectively) also have double-digit shares.
Now, let’s turn to the ACEA statistics for the European bus market. Plug-in vehicles have long been established here. Out of 32,695 new buses (+15.2 per cent year-on-year) in the EU between January and September, 8,633 were plug-in electric – representing 26.4 per cent. For comparison, the average e-bus market share for the full year 2025 was 23.8 per cent. The upward trend continues.
The overall bus market’s upward trend across all powertrains is primarily driven by the major markets: Italy (+34.4 per cent), France (+10.5 per cent), and Germany (+10.1 per cent), each with over 5,000 new registrations. At the same time, Poland saw a remarkable increase in registrations, up 69 per cent to around 3,100 units—making it the EU’s fourth-largest bus market.
Italy becomes EU’s largest bus market
Italy also leads in e-bus registrations, with 1,970 new plug-in buses (+116 per cent year-on-year) in the year to date, supported by high-growth markets such as Poland (999, +557 per cent year-on-year) and Portugal (642, +379 per cent year-on-year), as well as reliable volume countries like the Netherlands (783, +86 per cent year-on-year) and France (665, +33 per cent year-on-year). In contrast, Germany, Sweden, and Belgium saw significant declines. Germany registered 836 units in the first three quarters, 30 per cent below the same period last year, which saw 1,202 units. Sweden and Belgium experienced even steeper drops of -40 and -71 per cent, respectively. It is worth noting that 2025 was an exceptionally strong year for Germany, so the current ACEA figures likely reflect a normalisation of e-bus registrations.
Notably, the e-bus market across the EU presents a far more homogeneous picture than the e-truck market. In the past year, 17 of the 27 EU member states recorded e-bus registrations in the double or triple digits. Across Europe as a whole, the UK remains the leader in total bus registrations—but its dominance is no longer as absolute as before. In the first nine months of the year, the country recorded 5,672 new registrations (-27 per cent year-on-year). Remarkably, the UK lost its top position in plug-in bus registrations, with only 1,727 units (-22.7 per cent year-on-year) so far this year, falling behind Italy (1,970 units). The e-share for the new leader, Italy, has now risen to 37 per cent, while the UK stands at 30 per cent. The highest e-bus penetration rates in the current statistics are in Romania and the Netherlands, with e-shares of 82 and 75 per cent, respectively.