DAF XD and XF Electric named International Truck of the Year 2026

DAF’s new XD and XF Electric models have been named International Truck of the Year 2026, giving the Dutch manufacturer its third title in four years and further recognition for its New Generation range.

The award was presented to DAF Trucks president Harald Seidel during the International Awards Gala Evening at the Solutrans trade fair in Lyon, France, attended by more than 1300 guests.

The 24-member jury awarded the XD and XF Electric 92 points, placing them ahead of the diesel-powered MAN D30 PowerLion, while the fully electric SANY e435 became the first Chinese truck to make the shortlist for Europe’s top commercial vehicle award.

Under the rules of the International Truck of the Year (IToY), the title goes to the vehicle introduced in the past 12 months that makes the greatest contribution to road-transport efficiency, with judging criteria including innovation, comfort, safety, driveability, energy efficiency, environmental performance and total cost of ownership.

This year marks the third consecutive win for an electric truck. Of the five nominees, three were battery-electric models, reflecting the industry’s continued focus on energy transition while internal combustion technologies evolve.

Jury members praised the XD and XF Electric during test drives for their driveline refinement, including near-seamless gear changes, and noted their range benefits from the 9% aerodynamic improvement introduced across DAF’s latest generation. The modular vehicle platform, which allows a variety of battery and axle configurations, was also recognised for offering operators greater flexibility.

“With the new XD and XF Electric, DAF Trucks demonstrates that the combination of a central electric motor and a traditional rear axle can be just as energy-efficient as a driveline with an e-axle,” International Truck of the Year chair Florian Engel says.

 “Moreover, this DAF configuration provides perfect weight distribution, enabling virtually all use cases to be covered by a single technical platform.”

The 2026 nominees were the DAF XD/XF, MAN D30 PowerLion, MAN eTGS, SANY e435 and Scania Super 11.