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Choosing the right truck: TCO and CO₂ insights
Europe | Geneva

Choosing the right truck: TCO and CO₂ insights

13 Nov 2025 · Environment

What kind of truck should you buy today to optimise your TCO during its first ownership life? We compared the costs of different truck powertrains – and their CO₂ emissions – across seven major European road freight markets during our recent webinar.   

A truck’s total cost of ownership (TCO), encompassing all costs associated with buying, maintaining and operating the vehicle, can make or break an operator, especially in a world where over 90% of operators are SMEs with razor-thin margins.   

With increasing regulatory pressure to decarbonise, operators must leverage both efficiency measures and alternative fuels to reduce their CO₂ emissions.   

Several truck powertrains are now available: notably diesel, electric, CNG, and HVO.   

Based on cost, which one should you choose for which country? And what is the CO₂ saving potential? Together with IRU member DKV Mobility and Dreev, we explored:   

  • The main TCO drivers, including usage and ownership, vehicle price components, inflation, tyre costs, maintenance and repair expenses, registration fees and ownership taxes, toll rates, and fuel prices
  • The TCO and CO₂ emissions reduction potential of different powertrains by country
  • How to reduce emissions with efficiency measures
  • How to optimise costs in different markets  
Your decarbonisation path - The TCO of alternative powertrains in the EU - Full webinar replay

Coming soon 

We will soon publish country-specific briefings analysing the costs and CO₂ emissions of diesel, electric, CNG, and HVO trucks – as well as a comparative briefing covering all seven countries. 

Contact us to be notified when the intelligence briefings are released or if you are interested in: 

  • Calculating your own TCO
  • Identifying levers to reduce your TCO
  • Selecting the optimal powertrain to decarbonise your operations (for a specific usage and country)