UK HGV registrations grow 7.2% in Q3 2026 as zero-emission truck uptake halves

SMMT said the capital investment needed both to acquire zero-emission vehicles and to build the depot infrastructure to support them remains a significant barrier, only partly offset by government support through the Plug-in Truck Grant and Depot Charging Scheme. The body called for a national infrastructure strategy to grow operator confidence, alongside a multi-technology approach to CO2 reduction given the wide variety of HGV use cases. Readers can find more on this transition in THRIVE's electric HGVs and zero-emission trucks coverage.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said the recovery in new HGV registrations after two years of falling demand was "a welcome boost for the sector, albeit from a low base", but that the decline in zero-emission registrations "underlines the volatility and fragility of the transition in a sector with complex operating requirements, with market share still stuck at just one in 100 new trucks". He said accelerating decarbonisation would require "action on all fronts: boosting operator confidence, removing barriers to investment and embracing every technology that can cut emissions on the road to a fully zero-emission market".

Within the wider market, articulated truck demand rose 11.2% to 4,543 units, returning the segment to 2.3% growth year to date, while rigid vehicle demand increased 4.1% to 5,398 units. Refuse disposal vehicles rose 31.5% to 760 units and tippers rose 19.1% to 847 units, while curtain-sided trucks grew 8.4% to 657 units. Box van demand fell 11.8% to 793 units.

Regionally, Northern Ireland saw the greatest proportional growth, up 45.8% to 328 units, while the South East recorded the largest volume increase, up 17.1% or 319 units, to 2,187 new trucks.