UK: SMMT reports electric bus surge as truck market contracts

The UK’s commercial vehicle market delivered contrasting signals in 2025, with robust electrification momentum in buses and early-stage progress in heavy trucks set against a contracting overall HGV market. New data from the UK motor trade association Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows the bus, coach and minibus sector reached its strongest annual performance since 2008, while zero emission uptake across both buses and trucks continued to accelerate.

Let’s first look at the electrification of buses in the UK. The bus and coach market remains the UK’s fastest-decarbonising road transport segment. With a 27.3% zero emission share, it outpaces cars, vans and heavy goods vehicles in terms of electrification penetration. The scale of adoption reflects both sustained manufacturer investment and structured public support.

A total of 9,259 new buses, coaches and minibuses were registered in 2025, up 10.4% year-on-year and marking the best result in 17 years. Central to that growth was a sharp rise in zero-emission uptake. Registrations of battery-electric and other zero-emission buses increased 62.2% to 2,523 units, accounting for 27.3% of all new buses entering service. That means that more than one in four new public transport vehicles registered in the UK in 2025 were zero-emission. According to the SMMT, this performance cements the UK’s position as Europe’s largest zero-emission bus market by volume.

Electric buses drive 17-year market high

Although the year ended with a -28.4% decline in the fourth quarter, driven by a halving of minibus deliveries, the full-year outcome reflects sustained fleet renewal and the scaling up of electric bus deployment across multiple regions. Growth was led by larger vehicles, segments that are increasingly electrified. Single-deck bus and coach registrations rose 24.9% to 2,465 units, while double-deck deliveries increased 25.6% to 2,010 units. Minibus volumes declined slightly by -0.7% to 4,784 units following a weaker second half.

A look at Scotland shows that political support does help drive electrification. The SMMT notes that the country recorded the highest growth among UK nations, surging 162.3% to 1,188 units, supported in part by the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB).

The Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme has also played a significant role in accelerating deployment. Backed by government funding, the programme supports local authorities and operators in procuring electric buses and associated charging infrastructure, contributing to the sector’s rapid decarbonisation. We previously took a look at the scheme and its success.

However, the SMMT also emphasises that further progress is closely linked to infrastructure readiness. Large-scale depot electrification requires substantial grid upgrades, and operators face complex connection procedures and long lead times. Ensuring timely access to high-capacity grid connections is increasingly critical as operators transition entire depots to battery-electric fleets.

“Strong growth in Britain’s bus, coach and minibus market is clear evidence of an industry committed to cleaner, reliable and accessible transportation for all,” said SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes. “The substantial increase in the uptake of zero-emission vehicles has been enabled by significant manufacturer investment and targeted government schemes, but momentum must be maintained.”

HGV market contracts as electric truck volumes rise

In contrast to the buoyant bus sector, the UK’s heavy goods vehicle market contracted in 2025. New HGV registrations fell -10.0% to 40,504 units, with the market declining in every quarter against a challenging economic backdrop and following three years of post-pandemic fleet renewal.

Despite this contraction, zero-emission truck uptake increased significantly from a low base. Registrations of electric and other zero-emission HGVs rose 170.5% year-on-year to 587 units, marking a new annual record. In the fourth quarter alone, uptake more than tripled compared with the same period in 2024, rising 251.0% to 179 units.

The UK has now surpassed 1,000 cumulative registrations of zero-emission trucks. According to the SMMT, this milestone has been supported by the rollout of 21 different zero-emission truck models across a range of duty cycles and applications, alongside enhanced public grant schemes.

Nevertheless, market penetration remains limited. Zero-emission trucks represented just 1.4% of all new HGV registrations in 2025, equivalent to roughly one in every 71 new trucks. The data presented by the SMMT underscores that the heavy-duty sector is still at an early stage of transition.

Recent measures, including improvements to the UK’s Plug-in Truck Grant and the introduction of a new Depot Charging Scheme announced last July, aim to support the transition. Industry stakeholders emphasise that prioritising grid connections for road transport depots and streamlining planning approvals are essential to unlock larger-scale uptake.

“The new HGV market continues to normalise amid economic constraints on fleet investment, but a return to growth in 2026 is needed so that UK businesses can keep moving with the latest, cleanest vehicle technology, said Hawes. “Innovative new models are helping to lift zero emission truck uptake but to unlock real growth, we need faster depot grid connections and planning approvals – only then can more operators invest and capitalise on the benefits of zero emission fleets.”

Conclusion

Overall, the 2025 figures illustrate a commercial vehicle market defined by divergent trajectories. While overall truck volumes declined, electrification advanced, albeit from a low base. In contrast, the bus and coach sector combined volume growth with rapid zero emission penetration, reinforcing its position at the forefront of road transport decarbonisation in the UK.

Sustaining that momentum across both segments will depend on continued policy support, infrastructure delivery and the scaling of charging capacity. With electric buses now firmly established in mainstream procurement and electric trucks beginning to gain traction, 2025 marks a year of accelerated transition – but also one that highlights the structural challenges still to be addressed in the heavy-duty sector.

smmt.co.uk (buses) smmt.co.uk (trucks)