Overall market developments

In 2024, sales of all HDVs were 360,000, down from 390,000 in 2023. This 8% drop was largely driven by a fall in sales in the third quarter, when the 74,000 vehicles sold was substantially lower than the 100,000 sold in the third quarter of 2023. Sales bounced back in the fourth quarter relative to the third by 12%, and 2024 ended with a similar sales volume as the same period in 2023. While Germany’s share of the market remained the same in 2024 as it was in 2023, France and Spain increased their shares by 1.5 and 2.5 percentage points, respectively.

Manufacturer market shares shifted only slightly in 2024. Mercedes remained the top seller (19.6% of all HDVs) but captured less than the 21% of the market it had in 2023. Following behind were MAN with a 14% share, Iveco (13.1%), Volvo (12.8%), Scania (12.4%), DAF (10.1%), and Renault (7.8%).

Heavy trucks

Trucks with a gross vehicle weight above 12 tonnes

In 2024, heavy trucks were 77% of all HDV sales. Out of 275,000 heavy trucks sold, 3,400 (1.2%) were zero-emission vehicles. Sales in the segment contracted by 5% relative to 2023 when 290,000 vehicles were sold. The zero-emission market still grew against the backdrop of this contraction, as the 2,600 zero-emission vehicles sold in 2023 were a 0.9% sales share.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, 940 zero-emission heavy trucks were sold, representing a sales share of 1.5%, roughly the same volume and share as in the last quarter of 2023, when 950 zero-emission heavy trucks were sold (1.4% share).

Volvo Trucks maintained its leading position in the zero-emission heavy truck market in the fourth quarter of 2024, but its 33% share was a drop from its 43.5% share in the previous quarter. Renault trailed closely by selling 32% of all zero-emission heavy trucks and was followed by Mercedes with a 17% share.

Germany continued to lead in sales of zero-emission heavy trucks in the fourth quarter of 2024, with the 300 units sold representing 32% of the market. Just five countries (Germany, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark) were responsible for 90% of all zero-emission heavy trucks sales.

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Buses and coaches

With a gross vehicle weight above 3.5 tonnes

In 2024, buses and coaches were 10% of all HDV sales. Out of 35,000 buses and coaches sold, 6,000 (17%) were zero-emission vehicles. The bus and coach market grew by 31% relative to 2023 when 27,000 vehicles were sold. The volume of zero-emission buses and coaches also increased in 2024 relative to 2023, when 4,500 zero-emission vehicles were sold; the sales share remained relatively constant at 17% in 2024 compared with 16% in 2023.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, 2,000 zero-emission buses and coaches were sold, 26% of total sales and an increase in both volume and share compared with the last quarter of 2023, when 1,600 (22% share) were sold. Over 50% of all city buses sold in the fourth quarter of 2024 were battery electric—zero-emission powertrains were more popular than combustion engines for the first time ever. Seven countries (Belgium, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Romania) only sold zero-emission city buses in the fourth quarter of 2024. That same quarter, sales share of zero-emission interurban buses and coaches increased to 6%, largely driven by a surge in electric minibuses sold by Iveco, Mercedes, and Ford.

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Technology focus: Energy efficiency technology deployment 

Manufacturers are pursuing various strategies to reduce the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of their new HDVs, and all major manufacturers recently launched new technology packages that benefit the energy efficiency of both conventional and zero-emission vehicles. These include improvements in the aerodynamic design of truck cabins, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), lightweighting of various vehicle components, and, for conventional vehicles, more efficient engines and transmissions. All combined, fuel savings of up to 15% have been reported in the new generation of long-haul tractor-trailers compared with 2020-2021 trucks. 

New rules on truck cabin design implemented in 2021 allowed all major manufacturers to launch new, elongated truck cabins with significantly improved aerodynamics and other features such as air fenders, aero seals, under hood aerodynamic design improvement (closing gaps between components), side skirts, and improved windscreen design. Another innovation driven by the new safety requirements is the introduction of camera mirrors to replace traditional side mirrors; this reduces blind spots for increased safety and considerably reduces air drag on the side of the cabin. Improved aerodynamics have been reported to result in up to 5% fuel savings. 

ADAS have also become more widespread in the past few years. ADAS deliver up to 5% fuel savings compared with vehicles that are not equipped with the technology. Most importantly, predictive cruise control (PCC) adjusts the speed of the vehicle to gain momentum as it approaches hills, which reduces the impacts of positive road gradients on fuel consumption. Recent improvements in PCC algorithms were reported to deliver further 2% fuel savings. For conventional vehicles, through more efficient combustion, engine lightweighting, and gearbox automation and increased rear axle ratio enabling engine downspeeding, fuel savings of up to 8% have been reported.  

Passenger car registrations by owner

Van registrations

Over 1.5 million new vans were registered in Europe in 2024, a 7% increase over 2023. Of newly registered vans, 7% were battery electric in the fourth quarter of 2024, and the share for full-year 2024 was 6%, a slight decrease from the 7% average in 2023. While Volkswagen and other smaller manufacturing pools had BEV van shares of 8% in 2024, the Renault-Nissan (5%) and Ford (3%) pools remained below the European average. Looking at countries, the market share of battery electric vans dropped three percentage points to 5% in Germany in 2024, while the share other major countries either remained the same or dropped by one percentage point compared with the previous year. All manufacturers met their CO₂ targets for 2024, with average overcompliance of 8 g CO₂/km. Among manufacturer pools, Stellantis, with a market share of 30%, stood out with over-compliance of 15 g CO₂/km, and Renault-Nissan over-complied by 1%.

Charging infrastructure development

Figure 5. 22 kW-equivalent publicly accessible charging points installed per thousand passenger cars and vans in Europe by the end of December 2024

Note: The width of the bars represents stock size estimates as of the end of 2024. The unit 22 kW-equivalent is used to account for different power outputs while allowing for comparison among countries.

Table 10. Number of publicly accessible charging points installed by country and type of power output

From the authors: With the next stage of the European Union’s new vehicle carbon dioxide (CO2 ) emissions targets taking effect in 2025, lots of eyes are on automaker performance. To provide up-to-date data for discussion, we plan to release monthly updates on European passenger car registrations throughout 2025, and quarterly updates on van registrations and charging infrastructure developments.

This publication is a collaboration between the ICCT, IMT-IDDRI, and ECCO think tank.

Heavy trucks

Trucks with a gross vehicle weight above 12 tonnes

In Q3 2024, heavy trucks were 75% of all HDV sales. Out of 56,000 heavy trucks sold, 700 (1.2%) were zero-emission vehicles. While sales of zero-emission heavy trucks fell by 25% in Q3 compared with Q2, this came against the backdrop of an overall contraction in the market for all heavy trucks, which fell from 83,000 vehicles in Q2 to 56,000 in Q3, a 32% decrease. As such, the share of zero-emission heavy trucks rose from 1.1% in Q2 to 1.2% in Q3. Compared with the first three quarters of 2023, zero-emission heavy truck sales increased by 42% in the first three quarters of 2024; the 2,400 vehicles registered (1.2% of total heavy truck sales) were more than the 1,700 vehicles (0.8%) registered in the first three quarters of 2023.

Volvo Trucks maintained its leading position in the zero-emission heavy truck market in Q3 2024, and its 36% share was a drop from its 43.5% share in Q2 2024. Renault trailed closely by selling 32% of all zero-emission heavy trucks and was followed by Mercedes with a 13% share. Germany continued to lead in sales of zero-emission heavy trucks with 250 units sold, 36% of the market. Just five countries (Germany, France, Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark) were home to 86% of all zero-emission heavy truck sales.

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Buses and coaches

With a gross vehicle weight above 3.5 tonnes

Buses and interurban coaches were 11% of all heavy-duty vehicle sales in the third quarter of 2024. Of the 8,400 buses sold, 1,200 were zero-emission vehicles, 14% of total sales; this is a drop from the second quarter share of 17%, but still above the first quarter share of 12%. Battery electric city buses were 36% of all city bus registrations, with 1,000 units registered in Q3 2024, and this was a drop from 40% in Q2 2024. Bus sales in the first three quarters of 2024 rose to 4,100, a 24% increase over the 3,300 buses sold in the first three quarters of 2023.

Mercedes became the top-selling manufacturer of zero-emission buses by selling 180 units in Q3 2024, 16% of all sales. Mercedes overtook Yutong, which was the highest selling manufacturer in the second quarter. Shares of plug-in hybrid electric buses increased, doubling from 15 vehicles sold in the second quarter to 32 vehicles in Q3 2024. Sales were almost entirely in Germany (there was only a single sale outside, in Italy), and most of the buses were Solaris’s Urbino model.

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Buses

In the first quarter of 2024, zero-emission buses represented nearly 11% of all bus registrations in the United States—the first time zero-emission technology has surpassed 10% market penetration in any HDV segment. New registrations of zero-emission buses totaled 422 in the first quarter and 219 in the second quarter; the 641 buses registered in the first half of 2024 were more than were registered in all of 2023.

Traton and Daimler are the largest manufacturer groups for both ICE and zero-emission buses in the United Sates. Together, they accounted for more than 90% of the ICE market and close to 90% of the zero-emission market for buses in Q1 and Q2 2024. Most zero-emission bus registrations were battery-electric school buses manufactured by Traton subsidiary International Motors (formerly Navistar) and Daimler subsidiary Thomas Built Buses. Lion Electric, which manufactures only battery electric buses, ranked third for zero-emission bus registrations in both quarters, although with fewer than half the registrations of either Traton or Daimler.

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Medium-duty trucks

The medium-duty truck market shows a high degree of fragmentation in terms of manufacturer market share. No manufacturer accounted for more than 50% of the ICE vehicle market, and multiple legacy and dedicated zero-emission manufacturers are active in the zero-emission market. In the first quarter of 2024, Daimler, Traton, Paccar, and BYD were the largest zero-emission medium-duty truck manufacturers. In the second quarter, Daimler’s share accounted for almost 80% of zero-emission registrations. Ford, Isuzu, General Motors, and Stellantis did not record any zero-emission medium-duty truck registrations during the first half of 2024. Unlike other HDV segments where diesel is the dominant fuel in ICE vehicles, this segment included some gasoline-powered vehicles sold by Ford, Isuzu, and other manufacturers.

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Heavy-duty trucks

Legacy manufacturer groups Daimler, Paccar, Volvo Truck, and Traton are the largest ICE manufacturers; these groups accounted for more than 95% of the market in both Q1 and Q2. Daimler, Paccar, and Volvo Truck also dominated the zero-emission market, collectively representing about three quarters of zero-emission heavy truck registrations in the first half of 2024. Volvo had the most zero-emission heavy truck registrations in Q1 by a wide margin, while Daimler recorded the most in Q2. Dedicated zero-emission manufacturers BYD, Tesla, and Nikola accounted for single-digit market shares in the zero-emission market. Nikola’s registrations were of hydrogen fuel-cell and battery electric vehicles, while registrations of BYD and Tesla trucks were exclusively battery electric vehicles. Because of data limitations, no manufacturer information was available for 18% of zero-emission registrations in Q1 and 14% in Q2.

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Heavy trucks

The heavy truck market saw changes in the mix of fuel types from previous years. In the first half of 2024, diesel trucks accounted for 55% of sales, down from 80% in the first half of 2023, and natural gas-powered trucks made up 35% of sales, up 8% year-on-year. Battery electric trucks reached a 9% sales share and were the third most popular powertrain technology in the market.

Sales of both battery electric and fuel-cell heavy trucks have mostly grown steadily in 2024, except for a dip in February during the Spring Festival, when most business activity is paused. In June, the market share of battery electric heavy trucks hit a new high of 14%, a 35% increase from January 2024. The market for fuel-cell heavy trucks remains nascent, with 332 vehicles sold in June 2024, a 1% market share.

Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries dominate the heavy truck market in China due to their economy, durability, and safety. In terms of capacity, the most popular battery sizes for these vehicles were 282 kWh, 350 kWh, and 423 kWh, indicating a balance between cost and efficiency.

The collective market share of the top 5 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), known as the 5-firm concentration ratio or CR5, is an indicator of market maturity. In the first half of 2024, the CR5 among internal combustion engine (ICE) heavy truck manufacturers was 79%, while the ratio among ZE manufacturers was 69%. This implies that the ZE heavy truck industry is approaching a level of market maturity similar to that of ICE manufacturers, with top OEMs capturing a growing share of the market.

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City buses and coaches

In terms of market share, there were no major changes in the adoption of zero-emission technologies during the first half of 2024. City bus sales saw a peak in January with 2,670 units sold, predominantly battery electric buses, followed by a sharp decline in February and March before a bounce in April. As of June 2024, the market share of battery electric coaches was 6.0%.

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Battery swapping

Battery swapping, whereby a depleted electric vehicle battery can be switched out for a fully charged replacement within minutes, is an innovative technology that can make battery electric vehicles operate more efficiently and affordably. Fleet operators save on the upfront investment by purchasing vehicles without batteries installed and renting batteries from third-party lessors; operators can also be free from range anxiety, assuming there is battery swapping infrastructure deployed close to their yard. Swap-capable technology has gained in popularity in China in recent years, particularly for trucks and tractors.

In the first half of 2024, sales of swap-capable vehicles increased and reached a total of 2,497 in June 2024. That is up 87% from the first half of 2023. The popularity of swap-capable vehicles has been jointly driven by policy and market developments: Several policies were introduced in 2024 to support this emerging technology (see Table 4.1), and pilot projects have been launched to assess use cases in several industries, including mining, steel, and port logistics.

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Overall market developments

The seven top-selling HDV brands in the European Union represented 84% of all sales in the second quarter of 2024. Mercedes-Benz was the top-selling brand (21%), followed by MAN (13.8%), IVECO (13.5%), Scania (12.5%), Volvo (11.7%), DAF (9.7%), and Renault (7.1%)

There were differences in the sales mix of the seven top-selling brands in Europe regarding vehicle segments. Heavy trucks represented more than 95% of sales for Scania, DAF, Volvo Trucks, and Renault Trucks. IVECO, meanwhile, sold proportionally fewer of those trucks (47%) and sold more light and medium commercial vehicles (36%), and buses and coaches (17%).

Light and medium commercial vehicles

With a gross vehicle weight between 3.5 tonnes and 12 tonnes

In the second quarter of 2024, light and medium commercial vehicles represented 14.6% of all HDV sales. Of the 14,292 light and medium commercial vehicles sold, 1,447 were ZEVs, 10% of the segment’s sales. This was a significant increase over the first quarter, when 928, or 8.4% of the trucks sold, were zero-emission. The total number of light and medium trucks sold increased by 29.5% from the first to the second quarter of 2024; the number of ZEVs sold grew by more than 50% in the same period.

Comparing the first halves of 2024 and 2023, light and medium commercial vehicle sales decreased by 2.7%. In contrast, sales of ZEVs in this segment increased by approximately 86%, from 1,270 trucks in the first half of 2023 to nearly 2,400 trucks in the first half of 2024.

Ford continued to lead the zero-emission light and medium commercial vehicle market in the second quarter of 2024 with 41.5% of sales; this is despite representing only 1.5% of internal combustion engine (ICE) truck sales, and sales were primarily driven by the 4×2 axle Ford Transit. IVECO followed closely with more than one-third of all ZEV sales in this segment, mostly driven by its 4×2 axle Iveco Daily; 475 were sold this quarter. Although vans continue to dominate ZEV sales in this segment, making up over 71% of the total, the share of rigid truck sales increased to nearly 26% in the second quarter of 2024, up from 19% in the first quarter of 2024.

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Buses and coaches

With a gross vehicle weight above 3.5 tonnes

Buses and interurban coaches represented 10.2% of all HDV sales in the second quarter of 2024. Of the 9,976 buses sold, 1,722 were ZEVs, 17.2% of total sales. This is up from the first quarter when ZEV buses were 12.4% of sales. Battery electric city buses accounted for 40% of city bus sales, with 1,616 registered units in the second quarter of 2024. This is a considerable increase relative to the first quarter, when 32% of city bus registrations were battery electric (1,100 units).

Bus sales in the first half of 2024 increased by 48.7% compared with the first half of 2023. Although the number of zero-emission buses sold during the first half of 2024 rose by 35% compared with the first half of 2023, the ZEV share of total bus sales declined from 16.5% in 2023 to 15.0% in 2024.

Manufacturers Yutong and Mercedes-Benz led in zero-emission bus sales, with shares of 20.8% and 14.8%, respectively. Mercedes-Benz also leads the ICE bus market, holding a 27.2% share.

City buses have historically led in adoption of ZEVs in the HDV segment. Although the trend observed in 2023 of several countries selling only zero-emission buses and coaches did not carry over to 2024, sales of zero-emission city buses remain high. The percentage of battery electric city bus sales reached 97% in Greece (261 units), 95% in Denmark (111 units), over 90% in Ireland (166 units) and Luxembourg (40 units), and 87% in the Netherlands (80 units). France recorded an all-time high 45% sales share of zero-emission city buses, with 285 units registered in the second quarter of 2024, the highest number of registrations in the European Union.

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Technology focus: Development of hydrogen combustion trucks

Looking beyond quarterly sales

Hydrogen combustion trucks burn hydrogen fuel in an ICE that is similar to the engines used for natural gas. The technology can significantly reduce tailpipe CO2 emissions, but its effect on pollutant emissions such as nitrogen oxides and particulates is still being investigated. As highlighted below, several European truck and engine manufacturers have shown interest in developing hydrogen ICE vehicles.

Europe

Engine manufacturer Cummins stated in late 2022 that its hydrogen ICE for medium trucks is suitable for applications with gross vehicle weights between 10 and 26 tonnes. Cummins also announced a 15-liter 500 HP hydrogen ICE for long-distance applications, suitable for HDV applications.

DAF has developed a prototype hydrogen ICE version of its XF rigid 26 tonnes GVW truck, based on a Paccar MX13 12.9-liter engine with common rail.

MAN announced a zero-emission roadmap in late 2020 that included the testing of hydrogen ICEs alongside fuel-cell and battery electric trucks. More recently, MAN publicly mentioned that a prototype truck running on a 16.8-liter hydrogen engine has been under testing since 2021. In April 2024, MAN announced that it would begin small series production of hTGX, a hydrogen model of the MAN diesel TGX truck, and it plans to offer 200 units in 2025.

Volvo became a member of the Hydrogen Combustion Engine Trucks consortium, an initiative funded by the German government, in 2022. Volvo recently confirmed that it plans to include hydrogen ICEs in its future production mix and expand its research activities in this regard.

While IVECO has not yet announced any pilot projects for hydrogen ICE trucks, it announced that it is involved in developing hydrogen engines for trucks through its FPT Industrial powertrain brand.

Scania is part of a joint demonstration program with Westport to demonstrate high-pressure direct injection (HPDI) hydrogen ICEs for highway trucks. The engine was tested in 2023. In 2024, Westport and Scania presented the test results at the Vienna Motor Symposium, showcasing a 51.5% brake thermal efficiency and engine-out nitrogen oxides emissions similar to a diesel engine.

KEYOU, a German startup specializing in developing and implementing hydrogen ICEs for HDVs since 2015, introduced an 18-tonne hydrogen ICE truck based on the Mercedes Actros chassis in September 2023. Regensburg-based freight forwarder EP-Trans is currently testing this truck.

Daimler Trucks announced in October 2023 that hydrogen combustion could be a viable CO2-free pathway, mainly for vocational vehicles, and began testing a multi-purpose Unimog truck equipped with a hydrogen ICE. In late July 2024, Daimler concluded that the technology is viable for such applications and ready for commercialization.

Between 2021 and 2023, Renault Trucks was a member of a consortium of national labs, energy providers, and vehicle manufacturers to demonstrate a hydrogen ICE for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. trucks. The consortium was led by the Université d’Orléans and financed by the French government.

Other markets

European truck manufacturers are also showing interest in hydrogen ICE technology in other markets, mainly in North America.

Daimler Trucks North America presented its 15-liter 335-kW hydrogen ICE demonstration engine at the 21st Century Truck Partnership. The company also showcased its testing results of the demonstration engine at a California Air Resources Board workshop on the Role of Hydrogen in California’s Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Fleet.

In November 2022, the Southwest Research Institute launched a joint project to develop a Class 8 hydrogen ice truck. The joint venture includes several European manufacturers, including Cummins, Bosch, and Daimler Trucks North America. Demonstration of the vehicle is planned throughout 2024.

In July 2024, Volvo and Westport Fuel Systems launched a joint venture in Canada to accelerate the development of Westport’s high-pressure direct injection technology. Volvo intends to deploy this technology in hydrogen ICEs.

Figure 2. Zero-emission sales share of heavy-duty vehicles by segment, 2023

Notes: Percentages under the green circles refer to the market share of ZE-HDVs within each segment and correspond to the secondary axis. Percentage values below the columns refer to each segment’s share of total HDVs sold in 2023.

Figure 3. Sales by zero-emission technology, 2023

Note: Values are rounded to the nearest hundred.

Manufacturers

Figure 4. Top ten zero-emission bus and truck manufacturers, 2023

Note: Data labels show market share of each manufacturer among total sales in each vehicle segment.

Battery technology and performance metrics

Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) remained the dominant battery chemistry in the ZE-HDV industry in 2023, representing 99.9% of battery capacity in new ZE-HDV sales, a slight increase from 99.4% in 2022. The remaining 0.1% comprised lithium-ion manganese oxide (LMO) and lithium titanate oxide (LTO) batteries produced by smaller battery suppliers.

The battery supplier market continued to consolidate in 2023. Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL)’s market share grew from 79% in 2022 to 87% in 2023. Correspondingly, the market share of smaller suppliers decreased. Vehicle manufacturers such as Yutong and XCMG predominantly sourced from one battery supplier, while others such as CNHTC and Dongfeng sourced from a variety of suppliers.

Figure 7. Zero-emission HDV battery chemistry, battery supplier, and manufacturer sourcing of batteries in 2023

Notes: Width of links is proportional to each battery technology’s relative share of battery capacity in new ZE-HDVs sold in 2023. Figure made using data from top vehicle models by 2023 sales, which accounted for over 75% of new vehicle sales in 2023.

Figure 8. Sales-weighted average type-approved battery capacity, range, specific energy, and energy consumption by segment, 2023

Notes: Reference lines and corresponding data labels show the sales-weighted average for all ZE-HDVs. A sales-weighted average reference line is not shown for energy consumption, which is largely determined by vehicle weight. Values are rounded to two significant digits for energy consumption and three for all other metrics.

Battery swapping technology

Swap-capable BEVs reached a 14% penetration rate in new ZE-HDV sales in 2023. As of June 2023, there were about 400 battery swapping stations for trucks in China.

Figure 9. Monthly zero-emission heavy-duty vehicle- sales by technology, 2023

Notes: White data labels indicate average monthly swap-capable HDV market shares. The grey reference line and corresponding data label indicate average annual swap-capable vehicle market share.

Across all segments, swap-capable BEVs displayed lower ranges and higher per-kilometer energy consumption than their non-swap-capable BEV counterparts. Moreover, with the exception of utility vehicles, BEVs had higher battery capacity than swap-capable BEVs across all vehicle categories. These differences are in part due to the different use cases for the two technologies. Concrete mixers and garbage trucks—heavy vehicles that require large batteries and high energy consumption—accounted for almost 95% of new swap-capable utility vehicles in 2023. Only about 22% of new battery electric utility vehicles were used for purposes that consume more energy than either of these two applications.

Swap-capable trucks usually have lower specific energy than their BEV counterparts. This can be attributed to the energy penalty associated with the weight of the frame surrounding the battery, which is relatively higher for smaller, swap-capable batteries. The slightly higher specific energy for swap-capable BEVs in segments other than rigid trucks reflects the use of BEVs in a greater range of applications requiring comparatively lower specific energy than swap-capable BEVs.

Figure 10. Comparison of sales-weighted average battery capacity, nominal range, specific energy, and energy consumption of battery electric and swap-capable heavy-duty vehicles in 2023

Note: Data labels show percent difference compared to BEVs.

Looking beyond 2023

Overall market developments

More than 86,000 HDVs, across all powertrain types, were sold in the EU-27 in the first quarter of 2024, a 9% decrease from the same period in 2023. Sales in the three biggest European markets—Germany (25,000), France (15,000), and Italy (9,000)—which together represented 57% of all HDV sales in the European Union (EU)—increased compared to the first quarter of 2023 (27%, 16%, and 9%, respectively), while the Spanish market shrank from 8% to 5%.

The seven top selling HDV brands in the EU represented 90% of all sales in the first quarter of 2024. Mercedes-Benz, the top selling brand (22%), consolidated its market share by an additional 1 percentage point (pp) compared to the first quarter of 2023. It was followed by MAN (15%, +<1pp), Scania (13%, +2pp), Iveco (13%, +1pp), Volvo (12%, -2pp), DAF (10%, -2pp), and Renault (7%, -1pp).

Heavy trucks represented more than 95% of the sales of brands Scania, DAF, Volvo Trucks and Renault Trucks, while IVECO proportionally sold fewer heavy trucks (47%) than light and medium commercial vehicles (35%), and buses and coaches (19%). DAF had the highest share of tractor trucks in its sales mix (74%), followed by Scania (71%) and Volvo (65%). Other manufacturers, which represent 10% of the market, sold mostly light and medium commercial vehicles (43%) as well as buses and coaches (31%).

Figure 1.2. Manufacturer market share by segment

Technology focus: Zero-emission truck purchase subsidies in the EU

Looking beyond quarterly sales

Governments can implement several types of policy measures to support the development of the ZEV market. Due to the high purchase cost of ZEVs, and because most transport operators have low access to capital, direct purchase subsidies can be an effective measure to boost ZEV sales in the early adoption phase, though this is not a sustainable long-term measure.

Table 1 details the purchase subsidy programs available for zero-emission trucks across European countries, together with relevant provisions. As of May 2024, 11 countries in the EU-27, as well as Norway and the United Kingdom, offer direct purchase subsidy schemes to transport operators. These incentives typically depend on factors including company size, vehicle type, and whether a previous vehicle has been scrapped. France has agreed on a subsidy scheme for 2024 that has not yet started as of May 2024. Notably, France and Belgium subsidize the acquisition of battery-electric vehicles only. Germany, the largest market for these vehicles within the EU-27, discontinued its subsidy program (KsNI) in February 2024, and is allocating its budget to other supporting mechanisms, including the build-out of a comprehensive charging infrastructure network.

Beyond subsidies, other financial incentives such as comprehensive tax benefits are available in countries like Belgium, Denmark, France, and Spain, which could motivate companies to invest in ZEVs. Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Hungary offer CO₂– based road tolls for diesel trucks and a simultaneous exemption or reduction for zero-emission heavy vehicles, following the Eurovignette Directive. Additional sub-national subsidies may also exist.

^a N2/N3=goods vehicles with weight between 3.5 and 12 tonnes/exceeding 12 tonnes. M2/M3=buses with weight up to/exceeding 5 tonnes.

^b All values are converted to Euro

*This market spotlight was updated on July 3, 2024

U.S. state clean vehicle standards