Press Release l The International Council on Clean Transportation l March 2026


Europe records strong uptake of electric trucks and buses as first-ever CO2 standards take effect

In 2025, nearly 24,000 electric trucks and buses were registered in Europe—a 60% increase from 2024—reaching sales shares of 4.5% and 25%, respectively.

Berlin, March 12, 2026 — Europe’s streets and highways are seeing more zero-emission trucks and buses, supported by the introduction of the EU’s first CO₂ standards for heavy-duty vehicles in 2025.


“Europe’s truck and bus sector is steadily transitioning, with electric buses leading the way,” said Eamonn Mulholland, Senior Researcher at the ICCT. “In 2025, 58% of new city buses sold were electric. Medium-duty trucks and vans also saw strong uptake, and zero-emission heavy trucks picked up in the second half of 2025 after the EU’s CO₂ standards came into effect.”


Across Europe, nearly 24,000 electric trucks and buses were registered in 2025, representing 4.5% of all truck sales and 25% of bus sales. While total truck and bus registrations fell 5% compared with 2024, zero-emission vehicles grew by 60%.


Electric buses lead the market; medium trucks and vans see rapid growth


Buses remain at the forefront of the sector’s transition towards zero emissions: in 2025, every fourth bus sold in Europe was electric. Urban buses reached an even higher sales share of 58% with several countries only purchasing 100% ZE urban buses in 2025–Slovenia, Romania, The Netherlands, Estonia, and Denmark.


Looking at trucks and vans, the medium-duty segment (3.5–12 tonnes) saw the strongest zero-emission uptake in 2025, nearly doubling its market share from 10% in 2024 to 21%. Over the past 3 years, zero-emission sales in this category increased tenfold. Growth was driven primarily by heavy vans, which accounted for more than half of sales in 2025, compared with just 3% for medium trucks. Northern Europe led zero-emission uptake in this segment, with the highest last-quarter sales shares in the Netherlands (72%), Sweden (63%), and Denmark (66%).

CO₂ standards drive uptake of zero-emission heavy trucks


Sales of zero-emission heavy trucks (above 12 tonnes) increased significantly in the second half of 2025. Sale shares in the segment rose to 2.7% in the final quarter of 2025, up from 1.5% in Q4 2024.


The EU’s first-ever CO₂ standards for trucks, which came into effect on July 1, 2025, require a 15% reduction in CO₂ emissions from new 4x2 and 6x2 trucks above 16 tonnes relative to 2019. Registrations of zero-emission trucks covered by these standards increased by 52.5% in 2025 compared with 2024.


Mercedes, which initially lagged behind the CO₂ targets, now appears to be on track: propelled by sales of its eActros model, which tripled in the second half of 2025, the automaker sold 1,400 zero-emission heavy trucks last year, making it by far the largest seller of these trucks in the EU. Other manufacturers’ zero-emission shares remained largely unchanged, with Renault Trucks around 3%, Volvo Trucks around 2%, and all other brands below 1%.

Europe builds momentum in a fast-moving global market


Europe’s truck and bus market is steadily moving toward zero emissions, with rapid adoption in some segments and early-stage but consistent growth in others. Globally, other regions demonstrate the potential scale of electrification, even in the heavy truck segment: in China, zero-emission heavy truck sales surpassed 450,000 units in 2025, reaching a 25% market share.


“Europe’s zero-emission truck market is on a positive trajectory,” said Felipe Rodríguez, ICCT’s Heavy-Duty Vehicles Program Director for Europe and China. “Maintaining momentum now, supported by the EU’s CO₂ standards, will be crucial to bring zero-emission heavy trucks from the pilot stage into the mainstream. International examples like China show how quickly markets can scale when policy and market conditions align.”


About the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT)  

The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) is an independent nonprofit research organization founded to provide exceptional, objective, timely research and technical and scientific analysis to environmental regulators. Our work empowers policymakers and others worldwide to improve the environmental performance of road, marine, and air transportation to benefit public health and mitigate climate change. We began collaborating and working as a group of like-minded policymakers and technical experts, formalizing our status as a mission-driven non-governmental organization in 2005.