For tradespeople, the most important factors when buying an electric van are a practical cargo space, sufficient payload, and an appropriate range. (Photo: © Martin Meiners/VWN)
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September 9, 2026
Electric vans are becoming increasingly attractive to tradespeople. However, range and price are not the only deciding factors when purchasing one: A look at trends and electric vans on the German market.
Electric cars are booming, albeit initially only in the passenger car sector . Almost 39 percent of the 268.968 new passenger cars registered in June have an electric drive – the largest share among all fuel types. The market research company Dataforce , specializing in the mobility sector , attributes this development partly to the new subsidies for electric vehicles and partly to the still exorbitantly high prices at the pump.
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Broken down to the fleet and commercial markets, electric vehicles are also increasing significantly there. The situation was less encouraging for vans, where the market continued to decline. "The passenger car market and the van market are currently developing in opposite directions," says Dataforce expert Julian Litzinger . "The economic pressure is more noticeable in the van market."
To this end, mobility experts analyzed the fleet market in detail in their " Fleet Management Study 2026. " Market researcher Julian Ilge from Dataforce concludes : "The daily work in fleet management is increasingly characterized by time pressure and growing complexity." Four out of five fleet managers surveyed in the study stated that their work has become significantly more demanding compared to the previous year. Vehicle procurement and replacement consume the most time, while managers spend approximately a quarter of their working time on maintenance, repairs, and inspections.
Mobility - Commercial vehicles
Operations management
Operations management
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The remaining time is spent on organizational and administrative tasks. These include driver support, insurance management, and controlling . Administrative work also becomes part of the equation if the fleet is larger. Two out of three fleets with more than 50 vehicles are subject to reporting requirements. However, this only applies to a fraction of craft businesses. Nevertheless, managing a fleet is time-consuming. According to Dataforce, fleet managers find claims management particularly time-intensive.
Ultimately, finances determine which vehicles end up in a fleet, even more so for passenger cars than for vans. While the brand choice for passenger cars is primarily based on price and/or lease rate, specific requirements play a decisive role in the selection of commercial vehicles . These include cargo volume, payload, and, not least, availability.
Even longer journeys or multi-day deployments without returning to the company premises are not grounds for exclusion. After all, the charging infrastructure has improved considerably and, with over 200.000 charging points, including over 50.000 fast-charging points, is significantly better than its reputation suggests.
Even the supposedly higher prices are often just a perception – some manufacturers, like the Stellantis Group with its brands Citroën , Fiat , Opel , and Peugeot, sell their electric vehicles at "combustion engine prices" during promotional weeks . Anyone calculating the famous TCO – the Total Cost of Ownership – i.e., the costs over the vehicle's lifetime, can expect lower maintenance costs (due to fewer wear parts) and lower energy prices for electric vehicles, especially if the electricity is self-generated, for example, with a photovoltaic system. Furthermore, there are still subsidies available for purchasing electric vehicles, tax advantages, and even revenue from the so-called greenhouse gas quota.
This greenhouse gas reduction quota obligates oil companies to lower the CO₂ emissions generated by burning their fuel . To do this, the companies must purchase pollution permits to appear "greener" on paper – and everyone who drives an electric car in this country benefits from this. You simply need to register with one of the service providers that process the greenhouse gas quota; the money is then transferred back to you through them. Anyone wanting to benefit this year must register by November 15th.
There are now plenty of models available, even though many brands are essentially identical despite having different manufacturers. In exceptional cases, there are vans that are available from as many as six manufacturers (Stellantis, Toyota , and Iveco ), while in others, the shared origin ( Ford Transit Custom and VW Transporter T7 ) is only apparent upon closer inspection.
Unlike in the passenger car sector, Chinese manufacturers are either still in the starting blocks or, as in the case of the Ford Transit City, are using a domestic distribution partner who, in turn, aims to reach additional customers with this low-budget solution. The tables in the upper right provide a brief overview of the models available on the market.
When does it become worthwhile?Photo: © DHBYou can download the complete market overview of electric transporters for 2026 here free of charge!
With regard to the range of electric vehicles available, the question also arises whether converting the fleet to electric models is worthwhile. This is particularly relevant if the vehicles:
– plannable and/or recurring tours
– the daily driving distance is less than 300 kilometers, which is the norm in the region
– the vehicles regularly return to the company premises,
– investments in the vehicle fleet or vehicle replacement are already planned for the near future
– Clients require sustainability documentation from the company.
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