Electric trucks cheaper to own in six EU markets, study estimates

Six EU markets pass the cost test

Electric trucks purchased in 2026 have a lower estimated five-year total cost of ownership than comparable diesel trucks in six of nine European Union countries examined by Transport & Environment (T&E). The environmental advocacy group’s analysis, reported by Reuters on 28 September, names the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, France and Belgium. Together, those six markets account for 46% of new heavy-truck registrations in the EU. The finding applies to the countries assessed, not to truck operations generally or to Australia. ²

T&E puts the potential five-year saving at up to €100,000 in the Netherlands, €85,000 in Germany and €69,000 in Denmark for electric trucks bought in 2026. In those three markets, it estimates that an operator could recover the electric truck’s higher purchase price in roughly two years. Jordan News also carried the figures in its Reuters-sourced report; that repetition is not a separate calculation. ²¹

Fuel prices and purchase costs

T&E attributes the stronger cost case partly to higher diesel prices following an oil-price rise linked to this year’s Iran conflict. Its results are therefore estimates under current market conditions, rather than a fixed payback for every route or fleet. The Reuters report also identifies high purchase prices and inadequate charging infrastructure as continuing obstacles to electric-truck deployment in Europe. ²

The group estimates a Chinese-built electric truck costs about €210,000 to buy, against €265,000 for a comparable European-built model. For an operator in Germany, T&E calculates that choosing the Chinese-built truck could save an additional €34,000 over five years. Those are estimated vehicle purchase prices and ownership savings, respectively; neither is the diesel-versus-electric saving quoted for Germany. ²

The International Energy Agency (IEA) likewise says electric trucks remain two to three times as expensive to purchase as diesel trucks in some markets, even where lifetime costs favour electric power. It identifies the purchase premium as a particular barrier for smaller fleets and notes that large batteries can restrict payload, potentially increasing costs where extra vehicle movements are needed. ⁵

Operating savings are not the same as ownership savings

Separate modelling described by transport publication Trans.info in March found an operating-cost advantage for electric trucks on three routes in an EY–Eurelectric study: 14% on a domestic French long-haul route, 20% between France and Germany, and 7% between France and Romania. The last route involved greater reliance on public charging. Crucially, those percentages exclude vehicle purchase and charging-infrastructure costs, so they do not establish that an electric truck is cheaper to own on any of the three routes. ⁴

In January, logistics company Maersk cited an earlier International Road Transport Union study finding lower total costs for electric trucks in Germany, France and Poland where emissions-related charges and waived tolls applied. Maersk reported a German advantage of up to €0.15 per kilometre, with smaller advantages in Poland and France. Those results have different conditions and dates from T&E’s September estimates, and the inclusion of Poland does not make it one of the six countries in T&E’s latest finding. ³

Charging and real-world use

Charging arrangements remain central to the costs. Trans.info reported that the EY–Eurelectric study regards depot charging as the main solution for electric heavy commercial vehicles, partly because it can reduce reliance on more expensive public high-power charging. The study identified grid access as a constraint: by mid-2025, at least 16 EU member states had grid-connection queues, with connection lead times of 18 to 36 months described as not unusual. ⁴

Maersk provides an example of established use rather than a test of T&E’s payback estimate. It said its 25 electric Volvo trucks in Germany had travelled more than 2.7 million kilometres by the end of 2025, carrying cargo on routes involving factories, rail terminals, ports and warehouses. The company reported operating electric-truck services for customers in more than 14 countries, often through local trucking partners. ³

A growing market, from a low European base

The IEA recorded nearly 17,000 electric medium- and heavy-freight trucks sold in Europe in 2025, up 40% year on year but still only 3% of regional truck sales across those categories. Electric heavy-freight trucks alone accounted for about 1.5% of European sales in their category. These sales shares describe vehicle uptake, not the proportion of routes on which an electric truck would be cheaper to operate. ⁵

Globally, the IEA says electric truck sales exceeded 400,000 in 2025 and reached 9% of all truck sales, with China accounting for more than 90% of electric-truck sales. Its analysis found that battery-electric heavy-freight trucks in China can reach five-year ownership-cost parity with diesel in certain cases. That is a separate market assessment and does not establish whether T&E’s European savings or payback periods would apply elsewhere. ⁵