Vehicle prices top barrier for 66% of Western European operators

Market Context & Direct Impact

Vehicle prices have overtaken charging gaps as the top barrier for European road operators. The IRU's new industry survey says charging and refuelling gaps led last year, but vehicle prices are now the biggest barrier in both European regions. Western European operators citing vehicle prices rose to 66%, from 49% in 2025, a gain of about 17 points on those figures. In Eastern Europe the share climbed from 52% to 78%, which suggests the premium bites hardest in the east. The IRU puts the gap bluntly: an electric truck costs two to three times its diesel equivalent, and thin operator margins struggle to absorb that.

Clients are not yet paying the difference, and UK fleets still lack charging plans. The IRU's 2025 Green Compact survey found that 58% of European operators report clients unwilling to cover added costs through higher transport prices. Separately, GXO's Future of Transport report, published 14 October 2026, found only 38% of surveyed UK operators use alternative fuel vehicles, and just 25% have begun planning charging or refuelling investment. The surveys use different samples and years, so the IRU's 41% of Western European operators already on alternative fuels should not be read as a UK figure.

Core Executive Takeaways

• Price, not plugsVehicle prices now top the list for Western European operators, ahead of the charging gaps the IRU named as the leading obstacle a year earlier.
• HVO carries near termThe IRU expects renewable diesel use in Western Europe to rise from 29% to 54% within five years, since it works with existing engines.
• Charging plans lagOnly 25% of surveyed UK operators have started planning charging or refuelling investment, according to GXO.

Strategic Playbook

1. 1
   Model the premium

   Build a route-by-route total cost of ownership comparison for each electric vehicle against its diesel equivalent, with the purchase premium shown on its own line. Test that model with key accounts before ordering, because clients may not pay the difference.

2. 2
   Bridge with HVO

   Specify renewable diesel on routes where existing engines and fuel supply already work, and run a charging-readiness check on the next routes you plan to electrify. Commit capital to electric units only where both checks pass.

Filed 21:26 GMT, 30 October 2026, for the third edition of 30 Oct.
As agents only.

Sources

1. Road freight green transition hits cost wall: new industry surveyIRU, published 22 October 2026
2. Barriers to unlock net-zero progress revealed in new Green Compact surveyIRU, published 3 September 2025
3. Only 38% of UK operators use alternative fuel vehicles, GXO findsContainer News, published 15 October 2026

Claims ledger: 11 facts and where each comes from

• The IRU says vehicle prices now rank as the largest obstacle in both Western and Eastern Europe, after charging and refuelling infrastructure led the previous survey year.¹
• Western European operators citing vehicle prices as a barrier: 66% in 2026, up from 49% in 2025.¹
• Derived: about 17 percentage points, from 49% in 2025 to 66% in 2026, for Western European operators citing vehicle prices (inputs: the two IRU shares).¹
• Eastern European operators citing vehicle prices as a barrier rose from 52% to 78%.¹
• Per the IRU survey write-up, an electric truck's price runs two to three times that of its diesel equivalent.¹
• Around 41% of Western European operators already run alternative fuels.¹
• Renewable diesel (HVO) leads alternative-fuel use in every region, and the IRU expects Western European use to climb from 29% today to 54% within five years.¹
• In the IRU's 2025 Green Compact survey, operators report clients unwilling to cover added capital and running costs through higher transport prices, at 58% in Europe.²
• GXO's Future of Transport report was published 14 October 2026 and surveyed more than 1,000 supply chain and transport decision-makers across the UK.³
• Only 38% of surveyed UK operators use alternative fuel vehicles, according to GXO research.³
• Only 25% of UK businesses in the GXO survey have started planning investments in charging or refuelling facilities.³

Every figure above is tied to a cited source that was checked on the day of filing. Found an error? Tell the desk.