A report published by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) suggests US freight truck buyers are paying more than European buyers for comparable electric trucks.
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The study shows the cost of electric Class 8 heavy-duty trucks in the US jumped by 27% between 2020 and 2025 – while a similar truck in Europe fell by 23%.
The ICCT says the study comes as large truck manufacturers in the US are ‘taking a stand against standards to boost electric trucks’. This includes Daimler Truck North America, Volvo Group, Paccar and International Motors suing the state of California over an agreement they signed two years ago to support clean trucks rules.
The ICCT report details price increases for electric truck prices in the US, even as battery prices have dropped by 20%. It shows that when electric trucks are deployed at scale, prices can drop significantly: for example, the median price for smaller commercial trucks (class 2B/3) fell 42% to $87,000 between 2020 and 2025, with over 44,000 class 2B vans deployed. During this time the median price for the equivalent combustion engine trucks rose by 10%.
This contrast demonstrates that cost reductions are achievable when manufacturers scale production and it raises serious questions about why larger Class 8 trucks continue to climb despite falling battery costs, billions of dollars in purchase incentives and cheaper outcomes in Europe.
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By GlobalDataThe ICCT report finds that in Europe truck manufacturers have priced more aggressively to meet CO2 emission standards, showing that competitive pricing is possible.
The report identifies a lack of transparency on truck prices as a problem in keeping prices inflated. One truck manufacturer is cited as shifting the problem of pricing onto the dealers, with a trucking fleet representative countering this, given that “dealers operate on slim margins and are vulnerable to the allocations and pricing that manufacturers give them”.
Rustam Kocher, industry consultant and formerly of Daimler Truck North America said: “This report shows vehicle battery pack prices continue to fall and that while prices of electric trucks are dropping in the smaller models they remain sticky in the larger vehicle segments.
“Legacy truck manufacturers may see short term profit protection by overcharging for short-range medium and heavy duty electric trucks, but when the market opens up – and it will – they will not be in a competitive position.”
Katherine Garcia, Clean Transportation for All Campaign Director, Sierra Club, added: “The biggest truck makers in the US are fighting clean truck standards in court, lobbying Congress to repeal state rules, and even backing efforts to roll back federal emissions protections. In the midst of these rollbacks and the uncertainty they create for industry, it is more important than ever for manufacturers to step up and provide affordable electric trucks that fleets and communities can count on. We must get more electric trucks on our roads to curb health-threatening pollution in truck corridors and create freight hubs across the country. ICCT’s valuable research underscores the importance of truck pricing transparency, which is essential for reaching air quality and climate goals.”
Craig Segall former Deputy Executive Officer and Assistant Chief Counsel of the California Air Resources Board said: “Secret prices aren’t fair prices. States can stop giant companies from taking public money and then charging whatever they want, in secret — and we need to to make sure our freight workers are treated fairly.
“It’s time to take away the blank check from Volvo and Daimler.”
