ARTSA-i’s latest heavy vehicle market report has revealed a drop in new heavy vehicle registrations year-on-year.
According to ARTSA-i, the first quarter of the calendar year has traditionally been a slow period for heavy vehicle registrations.
Subsequent quarters in the past have been seen to out-perform the first in terms of new registrations.
However, Q1 of 2025 has seen a 23-per-cent decline in heavy vehicle registrations compared to Q1 of 2024.
While the double-digit percentage drops across all categories are high, ARTSA-i Executive Director, Rob Perkins, said they need to be seen in the light of historic data.
“The previous two Q1s in 2023 and 2024 were historic highs,” he said.
“If they are put aside, then the new registrations for 2025 are largely in line with the earlier data back to 2018.
“Given we have had four years of steady if not double-digit percentage growth in Q1 data, to have a similar start in 2024 to the 2022 is not all bad news.”
Perkins said the results are still historically high numbers and growth at double-digit figures is “unlikely to be sustainable”.
“For now, what we can say is that perhaps the market has ‘touched the brakes’ and a slow down appears to be occurring based upon these new vehicle registration numbers,” he said.
“The balance of 2025 should prove interesting.”
Based on Q1 data for the last eight years, heavy vehicle trailer registrations are back to 2022 levels.
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