Guest article: European Bus Market on course for growth - with a clear trend towards elect
The European bus market is growing noticeably: in Western Europe, registrations in the first three quarters of 2025 were 12 percent higher than in the previous year. Germany is developing particularl
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A guest contribution by Manuel Bosch, Publishing Director at DVV Media Group
The strongest growth, at almost 17 percent compared to the previous year, is in the coach market. The city bus segment is also growing significantly, at a good 14 percent – and is also seeing strong growth in electric city buses. This is shown by analyses from European Bus Data, published by DVV Media Group. Just under 7,600 coaches and a good 11,500 city buses represent record figures for the first three quarters of a year in the current decade. Only in the case of intercity buses is growth modest at 3 percent, with a good 5,800 units representing the second-best figure of the decade after 2023.
Distribution of new registrations of electric buses over 8 tons in Q1–Q3 2025 by manufacturer in the European markets.
German market grows strongly thanks to city and intercity buses
These figures refer to Western Europe, including Poland. The individual country markets are developing quite differently. The largest market in the first three quarters is Germany, which, with almost 4,300 buses, is also growing by a remarkable 27 percent compared to the same period last year. The result is driven by high growth rates for intercity and city buses, but only stable coach business in this country.
France ranks second with a good 4,200 new registrations, which is almost stable compared to the previous year. The UK, on the other hand, achieved impressive growth of 31 percent with a good 3,500 units, while Italy and Spain even recorded declines of around 15 percent. In contrast, there was significant growth in Sweden, where registrations tripled, and in Belgium, where they doubled compared to the previous year.
Shifts in market share – Germans and Chinese strong
Growth in the pan-European market is just over 10 percent. In the first three quarters, a good 27,500 buses were registered in Europe, according to comprehensive surveys conducted by European Bus Data for 31 European countries.
In Europe as a whole, Daimler achieved a market share of 24.3 percent in new registrations during this period, an increase of 0.5 percentage points over the same period last year. Iveco ranks second with a 3.5 percentage point decline to 17.8 percent. MAN achieved the strongest growth compared to the previous year, with a good 2 percentage points to a current market share of 13.6 percent.
The growth of the major Chinese suppliers is striking. Yutong registered more than 1,400 vehicles in the first three quarters of 2025. This represents a market share of 5.1 percent and fourth place in the ranking. With around 870 buses, BYD ranks seventh behind the European suppliers Scania and Solaris.
75 percent more battery buses than in the same period last year
For European Bus Data, DVV Media Group also evaluates the drive types of newly registered buses. According to this, over 8,000 battery-electric buses were newly registered in Europe as a whole in the first three quarters of 2025, compared to just under 4,600 buses in the same period last year, representing an enormous increase of 75 percent. With a good 7,400 units, city buses continue to account for the lion's share. However, more than 400 electric intercity buses and just under 200 electric coaches show that electrification is also gaining momentum in other segments. The new electric intercity and coach models presented by manufacturers in recent months suggest stronger growth in the coming year.
Looking at alternative drive systems by country, the UK is the undisputed leader with just under 1,900 new battery-electric buses in the first three quarters, an increase of around 50 percent compared to the same period last year. With almost 1,000 battery buses, the number in Germany has more than doubled compared to the previous year. Italy ranks third in Europe, followed by Sweden, Belgium, and Norway so far this year.
And when it comes to electric buses, a Chinese manufacturer is way out in front: Yutong leads the statistics for newly registered battery buses in Europe in the first three quarters of 2025. Mercedes-Benz and MAN follow, with BYD, another Chinese supplier, in fourth place. These four suppliers together account for half of the electric buses delivered in Europe so far in 2025, as shown in the figure from European Bus Data.
Hydrogen remains a niche market overall
Germany remains by far the largest market in Europe for hydrogen buses, with 266 of a total of just over 400 newly registered vehicles. Otherwise, this type of drive system is only found in significant numbers in new registrations in the first three quarters in France, the Netherlands, Austria, and Poland. On a European scale, however, hydrogen buses remain a niche market compared to battery buses.
This article was provided by DVV Media Group GmbH. The Hamburg-based specialist publisher produces the public transport publications DER NAHVERKEHR, NaNa Nahverkehrs-Nachrichten and NaNa-Brief, the magazine Mobility Impacts and the data product European Bus Data.