New commercial vehicle registrations: vans +14.6%, trucks +16.3%, buses +19.4% in 2023

Similarly, the new EU truck registrations grew by a substantial 16.3% to 346,986 units. Germany led the pack with 94,820 units sold, reflecting a significant 24.4% increase. Other major EU markets experienced double-digit growth, including Spain at 22.3%, Italy at 11.4%, and France at 11.3%.

New EU bus registrations grew by a remarkable 19.4% compared to 2022, totalling 32,593 units. Looking at major EU markets, Italy and Spain experienced a noteworthy 56.2% growth. The largest and second-largest bus markets, Germany and France, grew by a solid 12.5% and 4.1%, respectively.

New commercial vehicles by power source

Vans

In 2023, diesel continued to lead, with 1.2 million units registered, marking a 10.4% increase from 2022. However, its market share contracted from 85.7% in 2022 to 82.6% last year. Simultaneously, electrically chargeable vans are gaining traction, contributing to a gradual shift in market dynamics. Electric van sales surged by 56.8% in 2023, claiming a 7.4% market share, up from 5.4% in 2022. This shift was driven by substantial gains in key markets, including the Netherlands (+110.4%), Spain (+100.3%), and France (+76.7%).

Trucks

In 2023, diesel continued to dominate the truck market, constituting 95.7% of new truck registrations. Solid growth of 15.4% was recorded in EU diesel truck sales, propelled by notable expansions in key markets, including Germany (+23.5%), Spain (+21.8%), and Italy (+12.3%). At the same time, new electric truck registrations experienced an impressive 234.1% growth, reaching 5,279 units. The Netherlands (+889.7%) and Germany (+169.8%) emerged as the primary drivers behind this remarkable growth, jointly contributing to over 60% of all EU electric truck sales. Electric trucks now represent 1.5% of the market, substantial progress from the previous year’s 0.8%.

Buses

In 2023, new EU electric bus registrations increased by 39.1% to 5,166 units, claiming a 15.9% market share. Spain led with an impressive 269.7% growth, followed by Italy (+253.4%) and Germany (+29.3%). Hybrid-electric buses also showed positive year-end figures, experiencing a 115.1% growth that nearly doubled market share from 7.1% to 12.8% compared to 2022. Noteworthy growth in the top three markets – France (+221.3%), Spain (+172.4%), and Germany (+37.5%) – contributed to this result. Despite the rising popularity of alternatively powered buses, diesel maintains the largest share at 62.3%, albeit down from 66.9% in 2022.

In 2023, new EU van sales surged 14.6% to nearly 1.5 million units, driven by strong performances in key EU markets. Italy led the way with a remarkable 22.7% growth, followed closely by Spain at 22%, Germany at 12.1%, and France at 8.9%.