The UK’s full-year new HGV registration figures published by SMMT this week show the market continued to normalise in 2025 with overall demand down -10%. Encouragingly, however, zero‑emission truck uptake more than doubled, with registrations rising to a record 587 units and the UK surpassing the milestone of 1,000 zero emission HGV registrations on record. This progress reflects nascent demand, driven by local authority uptake of zero emission refuse collection vehicles, with significant barriers remaining to wider uptake – particularly the upfront cost of depot infrastructure and lengthy waits for grid connections.
The new bus and coach market continues to lead the way on cutting emissions, meanwhile, with overall registrations up by more than 10% in 2025 – delivering the strongest market since 2008 – and more than a quarter of these vehicles being zero emission. It means Britain remains Europe’s largest zero emission bus market, reflecting sustained manufacturer investment, strong operator commitment and, importantly, targeted government support through schemes such as ZEBRA and ScotZEB, helping fleets fund the upfront cost of the transition.
Building on this momentum, SMMT’s new Meet the Bus Operator event, taking place on 23 April during the Bus & Coach Expo and co-located Commercial Vehicle Show, aims to put Britain’s green bus investment into the fast lane. By bringing together operators, local authorities, manufacturers, suppliers, specialist services and infrastructure providers, the event will help more operators gain access to the insight and support they need to turn their decarbonisation ambitions into delivery. With one of Europe’s oldest bus fleets, the opportunity is significant – accelerating fleet renewal and supporting cleaner, more attractive public transport nationwide. Supplier registrations are open until tomorrow (Friday 20 February) so sign up here and avoid missing out.
