Electric Vans Face Headwinds Despite Overall Market Expansion
Despite a growing market for commercial vehicles, the latest figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) indicate a slight decrease in the market share of electric vans during the first nine months of 2024. While numerous manufacturers offer electric vans, the data suggests a shift in consumer preferences.
During the first three quarters of 2024, new van registrations in the EU reached 1,170,310, marking an 8.5% increase compared to the same period last year. When including the United Kingdom and the EFTA states (Norway, Switzerland, Iceland), the total number of new vans registered climbed to almost 1.485 million, reflecting a 7.5% rise, according to ACEA.
Diesel Dominates the Market
The most significant takeaway is the continued dominance of diesel-powered vans. Diesel remains the preferred choice, holding a market share of approximately 85% across the EU, UK, and EFTA states. This share even saw a slight increase, reaching 83% at the EU level and 83.9% when including the UK and EFTA states during the first three quarters of the year.
Over the course of 2024, the market share of partially electric drives, which include hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and electrically chargeable vehicles (ECV) combining plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles, has decreased.
Market Share Declines for Electric Vans
At the EU level, the market share of electric vans fell from 7.1% to 5.7%. When considering the EU, UK, and EFTA states, the share decreased from 7.4% to 6.0%. This decline occurred despite overall growth in the transport market. Specifically, ECVs experienced a loss of just over 12%.
Furthermore, there were fewer new registrations for HEVs, dropping to 2.0% from 2.3% in the EU and 2.0% from 2.2% in the EU, UK, and EFTA region.
Regional Disparities in Electric Van Adoption
Significant differences exist between countries in both the number of registrations and market trends for electric vans. France is a leader in the electric van market, while Germany still leads the passenger car market. France saw a 9.3% growth, with 20,163 new electric vans registered. Germany, however, experienced a 38.7% drop, with only 10,636 units registered after three quarters of 2024.
After nine months of 2023, France and Germany were nearly tied at 18,439 and 17,354 electric vans, respectively.
While Germany still holds the second position within the EU, the UK has surpassed them in the pan-European analysis. Even though the UK also saw an 8.9% decline in registrations, they still registered 14,392 electric vans, down from 15,790.
Other markets also show variations. The Netherlands registered 7,358 new electric vans, nearly matching the 2023 figure with a difference of only ten vehicles. Sweden experienced a 14.8% increase to 6,532 units, while Denmark grew by 33.7% to 2,748 electric vans. Hungary almost doubled its 2023 figures, with 951 electric vans – an increase of 99%. Italy’s electric transporter market declined by 53.4%, falling from 6,068 electric transporters in 2023 to 2,830 this year. Spain also saw a 26.5% decrease, with 5,124 vehicles.
Belgium, in contrast, registered a drop of 17.5% — despite the fact that the Benelux country has recently shown a very positive trend in EV registrations.
ACEA’s publication does not provide data about fuel cell vans, grouping them under ‘other’ along with gas-powered vehicles (LPG and CNG), E85/ethanol, and other fuels.
