The Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 has been named the International Truck of the Year (IToY) 2025, marking only the second time in the award’s 48-year history that a zero-emission truck has claimed this prestigious title.
The accolade was presented to Karin Rådström, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Trucks, during the IAA Transportation press day in Hannover, Germany. Garnering 88 votes, the eActros 600 triumphed over tough competition, including Volvo Trucks' Aero range—available in both electric and conventional powertrains—and the Iveco S-eWay electric tractor.
Journalists from the IToY panel, who participated in the eActros 600's 2024 European Testing Tour covering over 15,000km, lauded the vehicle’s innovative ProCabin for its enhanced aerodynamics. The ProCabin features a protruding front section and smooth, curved surfaces designed to improve airflow by 9% compared with the current model.
The panel also praised the eActros 600’s powertrain, which utilises twin 400kW electric motors on the e-axle and three LFP battery packs, each with a capacity of 207kWh. This configuration offers smooth acceleration, supports three distinct driving modes, and ensures a quiet, vibration-free driving experience.
The truck’s substantial battery capacity—exceeding 600kWh—enables a standard 40-tonne tractor-semitrailer combination to achieve a range of more than 500km on a single charge.
Summing up the jury’s decision, IToY chairman Gianenrico Griffini stated: "Mercedes-Benz Trucks designed the eActros 600 as an electric truck right from the start. This decision has put a state-of-the-art BEV on the road capable of fulfilling a wide range of long-haul missions."
Will Shiers, the UK IToY judge and editor of CM added, “When it comes to developing an electric truck, there are two different approaches. The easier route is to convert an existing diesel model. The more challenging, expensive, and time-consuming option is to design an electric truck from the ground up—and that’s exactly the path Mercedes has taken with the innovative eActros 600.”
