In October 2026, the Italian commercial vehicle market recorded 2,720 registrations, up 6.54% from 2,553 in the same month of 2025, according to figures released by Federauto. This marked the second consecutive month of growth, following the seasonal decline in August and a 4.7% increase in September, bringing registrations in the first ten months to 23,434 units (+3.19%), compared with growth of 2.6% at the end of September. According to the dealers' association, this performance was driven entirely by tractor units, which recorded their strongest month of 2026 with 1,570 registrations (+21.52%), bringing the year-to-date total to 12,867 (+14.67%). Rigid truck registrations, by contrast, fell to 1,150 units (-8.80%) and remained negative over the first ten months, at 10,567 units (-8.02%).
Growth was also concentrated in vehicles over 16 tonnes, which reached 2,375 registrations (+9.70%), increasing their market share to 87.32% from 84.80% in October 2025. Since the beginning of the year, registrations in this category have reached 20,058 (+5.13%), accounting for 85.59% of the market. The two lower weight categories, consisting exclusively of rigid trucks, both declined. Vehicles between 3.51 and 7.49 tonnes fell to 124 units (-7.46%), with registrations down 14.02% over the first ten months (1,288 units). The 7.5-16 tonne category dropped to 221 units (-12.99%), a much sharper decline than the 2.02% decrease recorded year to date (2,088 units). In the heavy-duty category, rigid truck registrations totalled 805 (-7.79%).
Among rigid trucks, vehicles with open cargo bodies fell to 518 registrations (-16.99%), accounting for 45.04% of the segment. Van-bodied trucks (-23.08%, and -38.06% year to date), flatbeds (-36.54%) and abnormal-load vehicles (-53.85%) also lost ground. In contrast, registrations increased for municipal solid waste collection vehicles (+37.68%, 95 units), specially equipped trucks (+16.07%), insulated vehicles (+13.86%, with a 10% market share) and tankers (+2.94%). Third-party haulage, the main sales channel, declined by 15.67%, while own-account transport edged up 2.65%. Rental registrations rose to 67 units (+17.54%), representing 5.83% of the rigid truck segment. This was only the second positive month of the year after June, reducing the year-to-date decline in rental registrations to 24.87%, compared with 40.6% in May. Among tractor units, registrations for third-party haulage increased by 16.63%, although their share fell to 89.36% as rental grew faster. With 122 units (+281.25%), rental reached its highest monthly level of the year and accounted for 7.77% of the segment. Year-to-date rental registrations rose by 60.17%, from 359 to 575 units, following a slowdown in July and August. Across both vehicle segments, rental registrations totalled 189 units (+112.36%).
Diesel remains the dominant fuel, accounting for 98.53% of the market, with 2,680 registrations (+6.90%). Electric vehicle registrations fell to 13 from 29 (-55.17%) and almost halved over the first ten months, dropping from 519 to 268 units (-48.36%). Among tractor units, electric registrations declined from 17 to just two, although the year-to-date figure remained above 2025 levels (46 against 40). Among rigid trucks, electric registrations were concentrated in the lightest weight category, rising for the second consecutive month to 11 units from nine (+22.22%), although the cumulative total remained well below 2025 levels (205 against 452, -54.65%). Gas-powered vehicles recorded growth from a small base. Compressed natural gas registrations rose to 17 units (+13.33%), almost all tractor units (15 compared with one in October 2025), while diesel-LNG dual-fuel vehicles increased from two to ten units, bringing the year-to-date total to 76 compared with 31.
Looking at registrations over the first ten months, MAN stands out with 2,899 units, an increase of 29.13% compared with the same period of the previous year. Iveco retained its leading position, although year-to-date registrations fell by 10.96% to 6,058 units and its market share declined by four percentage points, from 29.96% to 25.85%. It was followed by Volvo with 3,226 units (+19.97%), including 2,161 tractor units, making it the leader in that segment; Scania with 3,022 units (+2.61%); and Mercedes with 2,856 units (+7.94%). Renault Trucks also recorded growth, with 1,611 registrations (+14.74%), while DAF remained slightly below its 2025 level (2,364 units, -1.17%) and Ford Trucks declined by 40.78% to 302 units.
Federauto describes the situation as "the calm before the storm". Its president, Massimo Artusi, welcomed the second consecutive month of growth but pointed out that registrations reflect demand generated six to seven months earlier. Since then, fuel prices and other operating costs have increased, while uncertainty surrounding the Italian economy and the Green Deal has discouraged investment, as illustrated by declining registrations of rigid trucks and alternatively powered vehicles. Artusi also referred to protests by road hauliers, particularly in southern Italy, which for several days caused shortages of certain food products and fuels. He welcomed the Government's prompt intervention with additional funding for the tax credit, which he believes prevented the protests from spreading.
Federauto is therefore calling for the rapid release of the €590 million allocated by the Government to the three-year fleet renewal programme, which Artusi says has become stalled in Brussels. The dealers' association is also seeking clarification on two legislative provisions: Article 81(2) of the Budget Law, which excludes biomethane production for transport from public support while maintaining incentives for other sectors; and the measure allowing third-party road haulage companies registered with the National Register of Road Hauliers to suspend leasing payments, which needs clarification to avoid legal disputes.
Unrae, which processes registration data from the Ministry of Transport and supplements them with its own estimates, recorded 2,802 commercial vehicles in October (+7.4%) and 24,126 over the first ten months (+3.4%). Its figures also show growth driven by tractor units, up 21.5% to 1,577, while rigid trucks declined by 4.4% to 904. However, Unrae uses different weight categories from Federauto: vehicles between 3.51 and 6 tonnes increased from 54 to 85 units (+57.4%), while those between 6.01 and 15.99 tonnes fell from 310 to 236 (-23.9%). Giovanni Dattoli, chairman of Unrae's Industrial Vehicles Section, sees these figures as evidence of companies' commitment to renewing a fleet with an average age of fifteen years. However, he points out that the transition is struggling to gain momentum: manufacturers belonging to the association confirmed at Ecomondo that low- and zero-emission vehicles are available, but incentives are lacking. One year after the decree establishing the fund, the €590 million in extraordinary funding remains inaccessible. Unrae is calling for the implementation process to be completed, with a portion of the resources reserved for zero-emission vehicles over 16 tonnes.
At European level, on 4 November 2026 the European Parliament's Envi, Imco and Tran committees approved a proposal to postpone the application of Euro VII requirements to commercial vehicles by eighteen months, with a plenary vote expected in December. The European Commission has also included a proposal to revise CO2 emission reduction targets for these vehicles in its 2027 work programme, scheduled for the third quarter. Dattoli considers the postponement a sensible decision because it prevents manufacturers from spreading resources between adapting internal combustion engines and developing zero-emission technologies. As regards the revision of CO2 targets, he is calling for an assessment of the enabling conditions, starting with dedicated parking areas equipped with charging and refuelling facilities for commercial vehicles, competitive energy costs and measures to stimulate demand, alongside national instruments such as CO2-based road tolls.
P.R.
