EU commercial vehicle market faces decline across segments in Q1 2025: ACEA

The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) has recently reported a decline in new commercial vehicle registrations across the European Union (EU) for the first quarter of 2025. This downturn has been attributed to various factors such as subdued economic activity, reduced order intake in previous quarters, and a complex regulatory environment that has created uncertainty in the sector.

ACEA represents 16 major Europe-based vehicle manufacturers, including industry giants such as BMW, Daimler Truck, Ford, Stellantis, Volkswagen, and Volvo. The association’s latest findings reveal that van registrations in the EU have dropped by 12.2% compared to the same period in 2024. Among the largest markets, Italy experienced the sharpest decline at 15.2%, with both France and Germany also seeing decreases of 10.7%. Interestingly, Spain stood out as the only major market to record growth, with registrations rising by 12.6%.

Despite the overall decrease in van registrations, diesel continues to dominate the market, accounting for 82.5% of registrations. However, there has been a 14% drop in diesel van volumes. On the other hand, petrol van sales decreased by 25.8%, capturing a 5.2% market share. Electric vans, on the other hand, saw a significant increase of 32.6%, growing their market share to 8.7% from 5.7% a year earlier. Hybrid vans also experienced a marginal rise of 0.7%, representing 2.5% of new registrations.

In the truck segment, registrations have also witnessed a decline of 16%, totaling 72,941 units. This decrease can be attributed to a 16.6% drop in heavy-truck sales and a 12.5% fall in medium-truck registrations. All key markets experienced contractions, with Germany registering the steepest decline at 25.4%, followed by France at 17.6%. Spain and Italy also reported significant reductions of 12.8% and 9.4%, respectively.

In terms of fuel types, diesel remained the primary choice in the truck segment, holding a 93.4% market share despite a 17.7% decrease in volumes. Electrically-chargeable truck registrations, however, saw a significant growth of 50.6%, reaching a 3.5% market share. The Netherlands played a significant role in this increase, with a 342.7% rise in registrations, constituting 25% of all electric trucks sold in the EU.

Bus registrations also experienced a slight decline of 1.8%, totaling 8,674 units. Germany saw a 15% decrease, Italy fell by 7.3%, and Spain slipped by 0.5%. On the other hand, France registered a slight increase of 0.1%, while Sweden and Greece recorded substantial growth in bus registrations.

Electric bus registrations surged by 50.3%, increasing their market share from 13% to 19.9%. Germany led the segment with a 118.9% increase, while Sweden saw a significant jump in electric bus registrations from nine to 237 units. Hybrid-electric bus registrations, however, fell by 28.7%, capturing 10.7% of the market. Diesel buses also experienced a decline of 5.6%, reducing their market share to 65.9% from 68.5% in Q1 2024.

It is evident from ACEA’s report that the commercial vehicle market in the EU is currently facing challenges across various segments. The industry is navigating through a period of uncertainty, and manufacturers will need to adapt to changing market conditions and regulatory landscapes to drive growth in the future.