- Although the electric adoption is still marginal within the CV market, it is growing fast.
- While Ford leads among the brands, a Volkswagen tops the model ranking.
- The Netherlands is their largest market in Europe by market share.
The European new Commercial Vehicle market recorded a negative result in September. The latest data gathered by Dataforce shows that the sales of these vehicles (light and heavy) totaled 225,403 units last month in 33 countries across Europe (Turkey included). The volume was down by 1.9% compared to September 2025.
Although most of the demand of CVs is still concentrated on the diesel-powered choices, the alternative fueled models are gaining ground fast. Last month, almost 15% of all the CV sales in Europe were powered by an electric, plug-in hybrid, or fully-hybrid engine. The pure electric commercial vehicles topped among them with 25,683 units, making up 11.4% of total sales. In total, this kind of commercial vehicles posted a sales growth of 25% year-on-year.
The plug-in hybrids came second with 5,794 units, up by 20%, followed by the hybrid commercial vehicles with 1,738 units, up by 23%. In contrast, the diesel, gas, and petrol CVs posted declines of 5%, 11%, and 6%, respectively.
Where are they popular?
While the UK, France, and Germany are the largest markets for the fully electric CVs in terms of sales volume, they are way more popular in other countries in terms of market share.
The Netherlands was their fourth largest market by volume, but the biggest in market share. The records show that two in three of the CVs sold there in September were powered by a fully electric engine. The result put this country slightly ahead of Norway, the usual champion in Europe when it is about BEV adoption.
Other markets where the electric CVs shone last month were Denmark (51% share), Greece (34%), Iceland (30%), Sweden (25%), and Portugal (21%). On the other hand, they were a rarity in Lithuania (1.5%), Turkey (1.7%), and Cyprus (1.8%). Among the big 5, they were more popular in Germany (14%) and France (13%) than in Spain (4.2%), and Italy (5.1%).
The protagonists of the month.
The electrification of the CVs is not happening at all levels at the same time. For instance, Stellantis is Europe’s largest CV seller but only 7.3% of its volume corresponded to electric models. On the other hand, there is Hyundai-Kia, which has a small presence in the CV market with its two main models – Kia PV5 and Hyundai Staria. In September, 91% of its CV sales were electric.
Brand wise, Ford is not only the top-selling CV brand in general but also the leader in the electric CV market. Last month, it sold 4,308 electric commercial vehicles across the region, representing 17% of its CV sales (excluding Ford Trucks). It was followed by Volkswagen brand with 4,015 units, and Mercedes with 2,907 electric CVs.
The model ranking was led by the Volkswagen ID. Buzz, which sold 2,847 units, up by 36% compared to September 2025. The big surprise was the Kia PV5, introduced in Spring 2025, which occupied the third position behind the Ford Transit Custom, and ahead of the Mercedes Sprinter.
Discover how the European HCV market developed in September 2026 by clicking here.
