The first quarter of 2025 was feeble for EU’s commercial vehicle market looking at data released today by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, aka ACEA derived from its French name. (read AutoInformed.com on: Hybrid-Electric Cars Dominate EU Car Sales)*
“Significant declines in key markets along with sluggish economic growth, lower prior order intake, and the complex regulatory landscape contributed to the business uncertainty,” ACEA said.
Q1 2025 EU Commercial Vehicle Sales
Click to enlarge.
New commercial vehicle registrations for vans were-12.2%, trucks -16%, buses -1.8% during Q1 2025.
New EU truck registrations also fell by 16%, totaling 72,941 units. “This decline was mainly driven by a 16.6% drop in heavy-truck sales, alongside a 12.5% decrease in medium-truck registrations. All major markets recorded declines, with Germany and France experiencing double-digit reductions of 25.4% and 17.6%, respectively. Spain and Italy also saw significant drops of 12.8% and 9.4%,ACEA said.
New EU bus sales declined by 1.8% compared to Q1 2024, totaling 8,674 units. Among major markets, Germany recorded a sharp decline (-15%), followed by Italy (-7.3%) and Spain (-0.5%). France posted a small increase (+0.1%), while markets like Sweden (+189.9%) and Greece (+187.6%) recorded “notable growth.”
New Commercial Vehicles by Fuel Source
Click to enlarge.
Vans: Diesel was the preferred choice for new van buyers in the EU in Q1 2025. However, sales declined by 14% to 290,870 units, resulting in an 82.5% market share (a decrease from 84.2% in Q1 2024).
Petrol models decreased by 25.8%, accounting for a 5.2% share. Electrically-chargeable vans grew by 32.6%, capturing an 8.7% market share, an increase from 5.7% in Q1 2024. Hybrid van registrations grew by 0.7%, while only accounting for a 2.5% market share.
Trucks: Diesel maintained its dominance in the truck market in the first quarter of 2025. Diesel trucks accounted for 93.4% of new EU registrations, despite the 17.7% drop in volumes compared to Q1 2024. Electrically-chargeable trucks grew by 50.6%, securing 3.5% of the market share, up from 2% last year. The Netherlands led this expansion with a 342.7% growth, accounting for 25% of the EU’s electrically-chargeable truck sales.
Buses: New EU electrically-chargeable bus registrations surged by 50.3% in the first quarter of 2025, with market share increasing from 13% in Q1 2024 to 19.9%. Germany, the largest market by volume, saw an impressive growth of 118.9%. Sweden recorded the second-largest number of registrations, 237 electric buses compared to just 9 in Q1 2024. However, hybrid-electric bus sales experienced a double-digit decline of 28.7%, accounting for 10.7% of the market. Diesel bus registrations declined by 5.6%, now holding a 65.9% market share, down from 68.5% in Q1 2024.
*ACEA
The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) represents the 15 major Europe-based car, van, truck and bus makers: BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Ferrari, Ford of Europe, Honda Motor Europe, Hyundai Motor Europe, Iveco Group, JLR, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Renault Group, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, and Volvo Group.
About the EU Automobile Industry
- 2 million Europeans work in the automotive sector.
- 3% of all manufacturing jobs in the EU.
- €383.7 billion in tax revenue for European governments.
- €106.7 billion trade surplus for the European Union.
- More than 7.5% of EU GDP generated by the auto industry.
- €72.8 billion in R&D spending annually, 33% of EU total.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
EU Commercial Vehicle Sales Weak in Q1
The first quarter of 2025 was feeble for EU’s commercial vehicle market looking at data released today by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, aka ACEA derived from its French name. (read AutoInformed.com on: Hybrid-Electric Cars Dominate EU Car Sales)*
“Significant declines in key markets along with sluggish economic growth, lower prior order intake, and the complex regulatory landscape contributed to the business uncertainty,” ACEA said.
Q1 2025 EU Commercial Vehicle Sales
Click to enlarge.
New commercial vehicle registrations for vans were-12.2%, trucks -16%, buses -1.8% during Q1 2025.
New EU truck registrations also fell by 16%, totaling 72,941 units. “This decline was mainly driven by a 16.6% drop in heavy-truck sales, alongside a 12.5% decrease in medium-truck registrations. All major markets recorded declines, with Germany and France experiencing double-digit reductions of 25.4% and 17.6%, respectively. Spain and Italy also saw significant drops of 12.8% and 9.4%,ACEA said.
New EU bus sales declined by 1.8% compared to Q1 2024, totaling 8,674 units. Among major markets, Germany recorded a sharp decline (-15%), followed by Italy (-7.3%) and Spain (-0.5%). France posted a small increase (+0.1%), while markets like Sweden (+189.9%) and Greece (+187.6%) recorded “notable growth.”
New Commercial Vehicles by Fuel Source
Click to enlarge.
Vans: Diesel was the preferred choice for new van buyers in the EU in Q1 2025. However, sales declined by 14% to 290,870 units, resulting in an 82.5% market share (a decrease from 84.2% in Q1 2024).
Petrol models decreased by 25.8%, accounting for a 5.2% share. Electrically-chargeable vans grew by 32.6%, capturing an 8.7% market share, an increase from 5.7% in Q1 2024. Hybrid van registrations grew by 0.7%, while only accounting for a 2.5% market share.
Trucks: Diesel maintained its dominance in the truck market in the first quarter of 2025. Diesel trucks accounted for 93.4% of new EU registrations, despite the 17.7% drop in volumes compared to Q1 2024. Electrically-chargeable trucks grew by 50.6%, securing 3.5% of the market share, up from 2% last year. The Netherlands led this expansion with a 342.7% growth, accounting for 25% of the EU’s electrically-chargeable truck sales.
Buses: New EU electrically-chargeable bus registrations surged by 50.3% in the first quarter of 2025, with market share increasing from 13% in Q1 2024 to 19.9%. Germany, the largest market by volume, saw an impressive growth of 118.9%. Sweden recorded the second-largest number of registrations, 237 electric buses compared to just 9 in Q1 2024. However, hybrid-electric bus sales experienced a double-digit decline of 28.7%, accounting for 10.7% of the market. Diesel bus registrations declined by 5.6%, now holding a 65.9% market share, down from 68.5% in Q1 2024.
*ACEA
The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) represents the 15 major Europe-based car, van, truck and bus makers: BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Ferrari, Ford of Europe, Honda Motor Europe, Hyundai Motor Europe, Iveco Group, JLR, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Renault Group, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, and Volvo Group.
About the EU Automobile Industry
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.