New information from The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) shows that 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.
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.
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.
Charts courtesy of ACEA.
https://couriernews.co.uk/blog/new-commercial-vehicle-registrations-vans-1-9-trucks-9-8-in-h1-2026/