New commercial vehicle registrations: vans +1.9%, trucks +9.8%, buses +22.7% in H1 2026
The European commercial vehicle market recorded a positive first half of 2026, despite geopolitical headwinds. Growth in the van and truck segments reflected a recovery from a low base, while the bus segment showed strong growth. Electrically-chargeable vehicles continued to gain market share, but uptake remains below the required pace, constrained by insufficient enabling conditions, notably in the heavier vehicle segments.
New EU van sales grew by 1.9% to 742,759 units. Growth across the four largest markets, however, remained uneven: Spain posted a solid increase (+7.9%), whilst registrations declined in Germany (-4.6%), Italy (-4.7%) and France (-2.1%).
New EU truck registrations also increased by 9.8%, totalling 171,933 units. This growth was driven by strong demand for heavy trucks (+11.1%), alongside a 2.8% increase in medium-truck registrations. Among major markets, Poland (+25.9%) and Spain (+13.2%) achieved the strongest gains, with Germany also contributing (+7.1%). In contrast, the French market remained relatively flat compared to the first half of 2025.
New EU bus sales increased by 22.7%, amounting to 22,590 units. Italy recorded the strongest growth among the largest markets (+51.6%), followed by Germany and France (both +21.6%). Spain was the only major market to contract (-8.5%), whereas Poland posted a remarkable 78.0% increase, becoming the EU’s fourth-largest bus market.
New EU car registrations by power source
Vans
Diesel remained the preferred choice for new van buyers in the EU, despite registrations declining by 1.8% to 587,272 units, with its market share falling from 82% in the first half of 2025 to 79.1%. Electrically-chargeable vans grew by 41.6%, capturing 13.2% market share, an increase from 9.5% in H1 2025. Petrol models decreased by 21.2%, reducing their market share to 3.8% (down from 4.9%). Hybrid van registrations recorded strong growth (+31.7%), although they accounted for only 3.3% of the EU market.
Trucks
Diesel maintained its dominance in the truck market in the first half of 2026. Diesel trucks accounted for 92.1% of new EU registrations, up 9.3% year-to-date. Electrically-chargeable trucks grew by 47.7%, securing 4.8% of the market (from 3.6% in H1 2025). Germany (+88.5%), the Netherlands (+44.5%), and France (+43.7%) drove this growth, together accounting for 74% of all electrically-chargeable truck registrations in the EU.
Buses
New EU electrically-chargeable bus registrations surged by 56.8%, with its market share increasing from 21.6% to 27.7%. Italy, now the EU’s largest bus market, led this growth with registrations more than quadrupling. Diesel bus registrations also increased by 11%, holding a 58.2% market share. In addition, hybrid-electric bus registrations grew by 10.7%, accounting now for 6.1% of the market.
The European commercial vehicle market recorded a positive first half of 2026, despite geopolitical headwinds. Growth in the van and truck segments reflected a recovery from a low base, while the bus segment showed strong growth. Electrically-chargeable vehicles continued to gain market share, but uptake remains below the required pace, constrained by insufficient enabling conditions, notably in the heavier vehicle segments..
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