After two summer months of decline, the Italian market for commercial vehicles with a gross weight above 3.5 tonnes returned to growth in September 2026, with 2,060 registrations, up 3.15% compared with the same month last year. July and August had closed down 0.72% and 6.08% respectively. Figures released by Federauto on 6 October bring registrations for the first nine months to 20,685 units (+2.62%), very close to the 2.57% growth recorded at the end of August. Growth was entirely driven by tractor units, which rose to 1,199 registrations (+9.80%) after a slight decline in August (-1.44%). Since January, the segment has recorded 11,294 registrations, up 13.75%. Rigid trucks, by contrast, remained in negative territory at 861 units (-4.86%), although Federauto noted that this was the smallest decline of the year, with June the only month to record growth. Over the first nine months, rigid truck registrations fell to 9,391 units (-8.17%), a slight improvement on the 8.52% decline recorded over the first eight months.
Diesel remains by far the dominant powertrain, accounting for 96.65% of September registrations and 97.27% of the year-to-date total. Its monthly share has never fallen below 96% in 2026, despite higher fuel prices. Electric vehicles accounted for 1.23% of registrations in the first nine months: 255 vehicles compared with 490 in the same period of 2025, comprising 211 rigid trucks, almost all in the light-duty segment (194), and 44 tractor units. The dealers’ association sees these figures in a regulatory context. Preference for diesel is concentrated among vehicles above 16 tonnes, which account for most of the market, and is already evident before the implementing decree for the multi-year road haulage fund has been issued. Ahead of the review of EU Regulation 2024/1610 on CO2 emissions from new heavy-duty vehicles, which European institutions are expected to address after discussions on passenger cars and therefore presumably in 2027, Federauto says the situation is causing concern among manufacturers, dealers and haulage companies. The federation is calling for market mechanisms to be allowed to operate, arguing that the current rules do not sufficiently reflect the geographical and economic differences between European countries.
Among rigid trucks, the positive signal in September came from the 3.51-7.49 tonne segment, which returned to growth with 103 units (+18.39%) after declines of 47.72% in July and 32.14% in August. The medium segment, between 7.5 and 16 tonnes, lost ground with 142 registrations (-14.97%), all of them diesel vehicles. The segment above 16 tonnes, which alone accounted for 71.54% of rigid truck registrations during the month, fell to 616 units (-5.38%). Over the first nine months of the year, all three weight classes declined: light-duty vehicles by 18.04%, medium-duty vehicles by 2.93% and heavy-duty vehicles by 7.66%. The light-duty segment is also supporting electric registrations, which among rigid trucks rose to 22 units (+10%) after falls of 61.70% in July and 70.27% in August. Battery-electric light rigid trucks totalled 21 units, compared with 13 a year earlier (+61.54%), lifting their share of the segment from 14.94% to 20.39%. Federauto describes this as the first significant year-on-year increase for the segment in 2026, although the coming months will show whether the trend can be sustained: the nine-month total remains at 194 units, compared with 443 a year earlier (-56.21%). There were no electric rigid trucks above 16 tonnes, while compressed natural gas disappeared from the heavy segment and fell to five units across all rigid trucks (-64.29%).
By body type, box-bodied vehicles rose to 428 units (+2.64%) and accounted for almost half of rigid trucks (49.71%). Vans recovered to 70 units (+11.11%), alongside the improvement in the light-duty segment, although registrations since January remain down 39.28%. Special-purpose vehicles increased by 14.04% and are the only body type to have recorded consistent growth in 2026, up 24.78% over the nine months, while tankers were unchanged at 65 units. Flatbeds fell by 40.48%, concrete mixers by 20.45%, refuse collection vehicles by 14.29% and insulated vehicles by 10.14%. Rental registrations among rigid trucks fell to 42 units (-22.22%), representing 4.88% of the segment: a sharper decline than in August (-3.23%), but well below the falls recorded in April and May.
In the tractor unit category, diesel accounted for 96.50% of registrations, with volumes up 10.51%, while alternative powertrains remained marginal despite strong year-on-year growth rates in some segments. Dual-fuel diesel-LNG tractor units fell to 14 during the month (-26.32%), but reached 66 in the first nine months, more than double the 28 registered a year earlier (+135.71%). CNG tractor units fell to 19 (-5%), while electric models rose to nine (+50%), taking the year-to-date total to 44 units compared with 23 (+91.30%). Hire-or-reward haulage accounted for 92.58% of tractor units and grew by 10.01%. Rental registrations rebounded to 56 units (+3.70%) after just two in August, and remained positive over the nine months at 452 units compared with 327 (+38.23%), although growth has slowed from 87.98% in June and 45.05% in August. Since the start of the year, the channel is down 28.16%, with 528 units compared with 735, while the licence-exempt category rose to 81 units (+19.12%).
Iveco retained first place in the overall market with 474 registrations, but continued to lose share, which fell by 9.02% in September to 23.01%. Among tractor units alone, the Italian manufacturer ranked sixth in September with 164 registrations (-12.77%). Mercedes-Benz Trucks led the ranking with 211 units (-4.09%), ahead of MAN with 201 (+64.75%), Scania with 170 (+16.44%), DAF with 168 (+32.28%) and Volvo Trucks with 165 (-14.95%). Across the commercial vehicle market as a whole, MAN (+31.98%), DAF (+26.63%) and Renault Trucks (+20.33%) recorded growth, while Volvo Trucks (-12.86%) and Ford Trucks (-36.84%) declined. Over the first nine months, Volvo Trucks led the tractor unit ranking with 1,982 registrations (+38.60%), followed by Scania with 1,902 (+12.21%) and Iveco with 1,682 (-20.13%).
Antonio Illariuzzi
