The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) has reported a downturn in new commercial vehicle registrations in the European Union (EU) for the first quarter of 2025.
According to the industry body, the declines were driven by subdued economic activity, reduced order intake in previous quarters, and a complex regulatory backdrop that contributed to uncertainty in the sector.
ACEA represents 16 major Europe-based vehicle manufacturers, including BMW, Daimler Truck, Ford, Stellantis, Volkswagen, and Volvo.
Van registrations in the EU dropped by 12.2% compared to the same period in 2024.
Among the largest markets, Italy posted the sharpest decline at 15.2% while both France and Germany saw decreases of 10.7%.
Spain stood out as the only major market to record growth, with registrations rising by 12.6%.
Diesel continued to dominate the van market, accounting for 82.5% of registrations despite a 14% drop in volumes.
Petrol van sales decreased by 25.8%, taking a 5.2% share.
Electric vans increased by 32.6%, growing their market share to 8.7% from 5.7% a year earlier, while hybrid vans saw a marginal rise of 0.7%, representing 2.5% of new registrations.
Truck registrations also dropped by 16%, totalling 72,941 units, primarily due 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 the truck segment, diesel remained the primary fuel type with a 93.4% market share, even as volumes fell by 17.7%.
Electrically-chargeable truck registrations grew by 50.6%, reaching a 3.5% share.
The Netherlands contributed significantly to this increase, with a 342.7% rise in registrations, accounting for 25% of all electric trucks sold in the EU.
Bus registrations declined by 1.8%, amounting to 8,674 units. In addition, Germany saw a 15% decrease, Italy fell by 7.3%, and Spain slipped by 0.5%.
France registered a slight increase of 0.1%, while Sweden and Greece recorded substantial growth, with registrations rising by 189.9% and 187.6%, respectively.
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 registered 237 electric buses, up from just nine a year earlier.
Hybrid-electric bus registrations fell by 28.7%, capturing 10.7% of the market.
Diesel buses declined by 5.6%, reducing their market share to 65.9% from 68.5% in Q1 2024.
