ECG — 2026-03-12
News from ECG
Developed through a longstanding partnership between ECG – the Association of European Vehicle Logistics – and PwC Austria, the Index provides regular and insightful updates to the FVL Industry.
In light of the current global fuel crisis with the recent sharp increase in oil and diesel prices and their potentially wide-ranging impact on the sector, an additional Q1 2026 update will follow at the end of April.
The European Finished Vehicle Logistics (FVL) Cost Index for Q4 2025 stands at 151.1 which indicates an overall cost increase of 51.1 % from January 2019 to December 2025. Compared to the latest reported values for Q2 2025, three out of four segments showed an increase in Q3 and Q4 2025. For Q2 2025 the index stood at 152.8, hence, the index decreased by 1.7 index-points since the last index update. This development is greatly driven by the decrease of the FVL Sea Cost Index. For the four segments the following results were derived:
The full version of the updated figures for Q3 and Q4 2025 differentiated by segments and countries is available as an appendix to the study released in March 2023 here.
In light of the current geopolitical developments and the resulting uncertainty across multiple cost dimensions we will be providing an additional update for Q1 2026 in six weeks' time, planned at the end of April. This supplementary update is intended to ensure that all stakeholders are kept fully informed as the broader implications of these developments continue to unfold. Should you have any questions on the FVL Cost Index or would like to be involved in the process of future index updates, please feel free to contact PwC Austria or the ECG secretariat.
Note to editors:
ECG is the established European platform for the outbound automotive logistics sector bringing together logistics service providers, manufacturer logistics managers and suppliers to the sector. ECG aims to facilitate non-commercial collaboration between member companies and assist them in sharing best practices in many operational areas, especially the harmonisation of operational standards.
For more information, please contact:
Frank Schnelle
Executive Director
ECG – The Association of European Vehicle Logistics
+32 2 706 82 80
About ECG
ECG, the Association of European Vehicle Logistics, has been the voice of the Finished Vehicle Logistics industry in Europe since 1997. ECG represents the interests of more than 200 member companies and partners, from family-owned SMEs to multi-nationals, and is the major champion of the European vehicle logistics sector.
ECG represents all transport models at EU level- road, rail, maritime and fluvial. ECG members provide transport, distribution, storage, preparation, and post-production services to manufacturers, importers, car rental companies, and vehicle leasing operators in the 27 Member States of the European Union as well as Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and beyond. They own or operate more than 470 car-carrying ships, 14,000 purpose-built railway wagons, 23 river barges, and 26,000 road transporters. As a major employer, the finished vehicle logistics sector plays an important role in contributing to the economic success of the European Union. Today, ECG members have an aggregate turnover of €21.3bn and their economic impact on companies associated with the sector is estimated at €56bn. More than 210,000 Europeans are employed directly by our members.
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