Heavy trucks: one in four will be electric in 2026

Context

TL;DR

• 28'431 commercial vehicles registered in the first nine months of 2026
• 847 electric trucks: 27,4% share over 16 tonnes
• In the 3,5-16 tonne segment, electric reaches 40,8%
• Overall market up 0,9% compared with the same period of the previous year

Key facts

• Period → first nine months of 2026
• Total vehicles → 28'431
• Vans → 20'741 (+0,8%)
• Passenger transport vehicles → 4596 (+2,2%)
• Electric trucks → 847
• Electric share over 16 tonnes → 27,4%
• Electric share between 3,5 and 16 tonnes → 40,8%
• Source → Auto-Svizzera; Keystone-ATS

In the first nine months of 2026, 28'431 light and heavy vehicles for transporting goods and people were registered in Switzerland. Data released by the Auto-Svizzera importers' association and reported under the Keystone-ATS abbreviation indicate 0,9% year-on-year growth. The overall assessment remains that of a substantially stable commercial vehicle market.

Vans, passenger vehicles and heavy vehicles

Vans grew by 0,8%, reaching 20'741. Passenger transport vehicles, including motorhomes, minibuses, coaches and buses, increased by 2,2% to 4596.

For the heavier vehicles, the balance is negative instead: registrations fell by 0,4% and stood at 3094. Within the category, the 16-to-32-tonne range grew by 2,8%, while the 3,5-to-16-tonne segment declined by 12%, reported in the data as 12,0%.

The electric push

At the end of September, pure electric vehicles accounted for 27,4% of the heavy commercial vehicle segment of at least 16 tonnes. A total of 847 electric trucks were registered. In the 3,5-to-16-tonne range, the electric share rose to 40,8%.

«The electrification of the commercial vehicle market is visibly gaining speed and importance», commented Thomas Rücker, director of Auto-Svizzera, in a statement.

Rücker notes that many companies are finding electric vehicles suitable for an increasing number of transport tasks and links this development to new registrations. The director also refers to the Federal Parliament's decision on investment certainty regarding the performance-related heavy vehicle charge, seen as a necessary safeguard for the trend to continue. For tracking the business side, the reference to aziende che assumono remains separate from the registration statistics.

Operational details

A twofold reading for those operating in Switzerland

The figures do not describe uniform growth across all segments. The overall commercial vehicle market remains essentially stable, while electrification is gaining ground in new registrations. For those following the sector, the first practical distinction therefore concerns vehicle volumes; the second concerns the type of propulsion.

Volumes and propulsion are not the same measure

The decline in heavier vehicles does not cancel out the advance of electric vehicles. They are two different measures: 0,4% indicates the overall trend in heavy-vehicle registrations, whereas 27,4% indicates the electric share within new registrations of 16 tonnes and above. The same principle applies to 40,8%, which concerns only the range between 3,5 and 16 tonnes.

For a company analyzing the Swiss market, this separation prevents a propulsion share from being turned into a figure for demand growth. First, the weight class is identified, then the change in registrations is observed, and finally the available electric share for that range is considered. The difference between the +2,8% for vehicles from 16 to 32 tonnes and the 12% decline in the segment between 3,5 and 16 tonnes shows why a single figure for heavier vehicles would be reductive.

The decision by the Federal Parliament on the performance-related heavy vehicle charge is presented by the source as a guarantee for investments. It is therefore a signal of continuity for businesses, not a rate or amount to be applied. The news does not allow an individual saving to be calculated. To keep the truck data separate from the daily budget, one can also consult costo della vita in Svizzera, without attributing to this source figures it does not report.

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Key points

An operational sheet without additional estimates

Anyone who needs to follow updates in the sector can turn the press release into a simple fact sheet, without adding assessments not contained in the source. The method serves to distinguish the period, category, registration volume and powertrain.

Four steps

1. Set the time frame. Use the first nine months of 2026 and the reference to the end of September. The comparison must be made with the same period of the previous year, as indicated in the data.

2. Identify the vehicle class. Separate the overall market, vans, passenger-transport vehicles and heavier vehicles. For the latter, keep the ranges between 3,5 and 16 tonnes and between 16 and 32 tonnes distinct.

3. Keep two separate columns. In the first, record the trend in registrations; in the second, enter the electric share. For vehicles from 16 tonnes upward, the reference is 27,4%, with 847 electric trucks. For the range between 3,5 and 16 tonnes, the reference is 40,8%.

4. Note the investment framework. The decision of the Federal Parliament concerns investment certainty in the performance-related heavy vehicle charge. The source does not indicate rates, amounts or additional deadlines: they must not be derived from the registration figure alone.

This procedure makes it possible to answer two different questions: how the commercial-vehicle market is moving and how much space purely electric drive occupies in the individual ranges. It does not replace an estimate or automatically calculate a personal cost, but it avoids confusing a change in volume with a technology share. For a separate personal calculation, use calcolatore stipendio.

Source: swissinfo.ch