New HGV registrations rose 7.2% in Q3 2026, adding 9,941 new trucks to the road and marking the first quarter of growth for two years and the best market performance since Q3 2023 - but ZEV registrations halved in the same period, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
SMMT said these latest figures reflect the cyclical nature of HGV investment, pointing out that, whilst HGV registrations fell 14.5% in the same period last year, the overall market remains 3.8% down in the year to date.
Registrations of zero-emission HGVs tanked by more than half in the quarter (50.7%) to account for only 1.1% of the market. This is in comparison with a surge in Q3 last year when uptake quadrupled and market share hit 2.4%.
SMMT said ZEV demand is down 30.9% in the year to date with just a 1% market share, adding that this highlighted the “considerable challenge of accelerating uptake despite a significant choice of models”.
It warned that the capital investment needed both to acquire vehicles and develop the depot infrastructure to support them remains a “significant barrier”, despite government support from the Plug-in Truck Grant and Depot Charging Scheme, which it said were not making enough of an impact.
SMMT called for a national infrastructure strategy which it said is crucial to grow operator confidence, alongside a multi-technology approach to CO2 reduction – arguing that this is vital given the vast variety of use cases for HGVs.
Elsewhere in the market, demand for articulated trucks recovered, up 11.2% to reach 4,543 units, and returning this segment to overall growth year to date, up 2.3%. Rigid vehicle demand also increased in Q3, by 4.1% to 5,398 units.
Tractor uptake improved by 12.3% to 4,453 units, with strong growth recorded by refuse disposal vehicles - up 31.5% to 760 units - and tippers rose 19.1% to 847 units, continuing the growth seen across the year.
Curtain-sided trucks saw a smaller increase, up 8.4% to 657 units, while demand for box vans continued to fall, down 11.8% to 793 vehicles.
Across the UK, proportionally the greatest growth was seen in Northern Ireland, up 45.8%, although as one of the smallest markets in the UK, this represented a total of 328 deliveries, SMMT pointed out.
The largest volume increase was recorded in the South East, up 17.1% or 319 units with 2,187 new trucks reaching the road in a region home to both significant domestic economic output and cross-Channel haulage.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said, “A recovery in new HGV registrations after two years of falling demand is a welcome boost for the sector, albeit from a low base.
“The decline in zero-emission registrations, however, 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.
“Accelerating decarbonisation will 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.”
