Volvo

Trucks

How choosing 
award-winning trucks can benefit your trucking business

Volvo Trucks
2026-09-24
Technology & Innovation Electromobility

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Author

Volvo Trucks

Can an industry truck award benefit your transport business? An independent jury of vehicle journalists recently bestowed Volvo Trucks’ new electric range with the  International Truck of the Year 2027 award. We asked Jan Hjelmgren, Senior Vice President, Product Management at Volvo Trucks why this award matters to customers: and how they actually can benefit from it.

On September 14th 2026, Volvo Trucks’ heavy duty electric range officially received the International Truck of the Year (ITOY) award for 2026-27. The award is given by 24 independent journalists from all across Europe, following a thorough qualification process.

“Personally, I am very happy and proud of this. ITOY is one of the finest awards you can get within the trucking industry. Especially since it is given to those who are offering customers the most value for money. Customer focus and total cost of ownership are two of the most important criteria,” explains Jan Hjelmgren, SVP, Product Management at Volvo Trucks.

“To receive prize for the eighth time, with this also being the second win for Volvo’s electric trucks, just confirms that we are not just leading the electric transition; we are also offering trucks that are supporting the customers’ needs and business goals,” Jan continues.

5 benefits of choosing award-winning trucks

According to Jan, there are several reasons why a trucking business should care about a prize like ITOY:

  1. An Independent mark of quality

    The award is given by a knowledgeable independent jury from a variety of countries and is based on factors that matter to transport businesses. These include productivity, energy efficiency, safety, technical innovation, and total cost of ownership. If a truck fulfils all these characteristics, a certain level of quality can be assumed.

  2. Confidence in your choice

    An independent industry award confirms that your truck has been rigorously assessed against a selection of criteria that matter most to your business. Meaning that you have picked the same manufacturer as a jury of experts.

  3. Value for money

    Purchase price is only part of the equation; total cost of ownership matters too. Because ITOY considers total cost of ownership, the award provides independent reassurance that investing in a premium truck can deliver lower costs over time, including benefits from energy efficiency and resale value.

  4. Confirming the importance and value of electric

    As a second-time electric winner, this particular award not only reconfirms Volvo Trucks as a leading choice within electric. Once again awarding electric trucks and a full range especially, awards like ITOY confirm that lower tailpipe-emission trucks have become a viable option and an everyday reality for even more applications and trucking businesses. That Volvo demonstrates “...how quickly battery-electric heavy-duty transport is moving from individual applications towards a comprehensive transport solution”. *

* Florian Engel, Chairman, International Truck of the Year.

  5. Encouraging driver satisfaction

    In a time of driver shortages, it’s good to know this range has been thoroughly tested and evaluated by customers in several different demanding environments and climates over long distances, and long periods of time. Customer and driver engagement throughout the process has been of great importance to Volvo.

To receive prize for the eighth time, with this also being the second win for Volvo’s electric trucks, just confirms that we are not just leading the electric transition; we are also offering trucks that are supporting the customers’ needs and business goals.

How to win the International Truck of the Year

When it comes to developing well-made and well-liked trucks, Jan emphasizes the importance of knowing your customers' specific business: but internal competence shouldn’t be underrated.

“You can’t play soccer without a skilled team, and you don’t win a prize like this if you haven't got extremely competent and engaged colleagues. It’s definitely a team effort and our customers can certainly be seen as winners as well. And also, good enough is never enough for us. We want more with this range – we want to be a premium choice and a driving force within the electric transition,” says Jan.

benefits-of-choosing-award-winning-trucks

Be part of the winning team

If you’re curious to learn more about the ITOY winner, take a look at our new electric truck range here.

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