Solaris Urbino 18 hydrogen awarded “Bus of the Year 2025” title! [MORE INFO]

The international Bus of the Year jury has awarded the title of Bus of the Year 2025 to the Solaris Urbino 18 hydrogen. This marks the second title for a Solaris vehicle and the first time in the competition’s history, which has been held since 1989, that a zero-emission hydrogen-powered vehicle has won.

On 16 September, during a gala held at the opening of the IAA Transportation fair in Hannover, the statuette for the best bus of 2025 was presented the manufacturer of Urbino 18 hydrogen. The "Bus of the Year 2025" award was proudly accepted by Javier Iriarte, CEO of Solaris.

"This is a tremendous distinction not only for our product but for our entire zero-emission mobility strategy. I am extremely proud that our bus has been recognized by an international jury as the best vehicle in its class in 2025. This title acknowledges both the excellence of our product and our strong market position throughout Europe. We are greatly honored to be a leader in zero-emission solutions, supplying our customers with battery and hydrogen buses. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank and congratulate all our employees, business partners, and customers. This is our shared success!" – said Javier Iriarte, CEO of Solaris Bus & Coach, which is part of the CAF Group, while receiving the award.

This is the second time that a Solaris vehicle has won the Bus of the Year title. In 2017, the prestigious honor went to the Solaris Urbino 12 electric – a battery-powered bus. This time, industry experts appreciated the advantages of hydrogen technology and awarded the articulated version of the Solaris Urbino 18 hydrogen, which is powered by electricity generated in a hydrogen fuel cell. Solaris is therefore the first company in the history of the competition to win the title for both battery-powered bus and now a hydrogen-powered bus.

"Hydrogen is probably one of the most sustainable fuels, and its usage and share in energy mix will grow fastest in public transport in the coming years. The fact that Solaris has chosen to invest so heavily in this technology deserves great respect. Solaris has also managed to construct a bus that meets future requirements in terms of passenger comfort and capacity, driver safety, and a good workplace, as well as a sustainable and environmentally friendly powertrain. All in all, when Solaris presented the 18-metre hydrogen-powered articulated bus at this year's Bus Euro Test, it caused great excitement!” – noted Tom Terjesen, President of Bus of the Year Jury.

The Solaris Urbino 18 hydrogen competed for the title of the best bus of the year in May this year as part of the Bus Euro Test. This year's edition took place in Kladno, the Czech Republic, where five vehicles underwent several days of comparative testing.

The Bus Euro Test, which precedes the Bus of The Year award, is a prestigious industry competition organized since 1989 by the Association of Commercial Vehicle Editors (ACE). The competition is held every two years and each time the event’ host is a jury member from a different European country. The winning vehicle receives the title of the best bus for the next year, so in this year's edition the title is "Bus of the Year 2025". The jury evaluates such factors as acceleration, braking distance, vibration and noise levels, as well as the subjective feelings of the jury, who test the bus as both drivers and passengers.

Five teams competed for the title of the Bus of the Year 2025, including Solaris Bus & Coach. Solaris' candidate in the Bus Euro Test was the Urbino 18 hydrogen. This articulated bus was developed in response to the growing demand for hydrogen-powered vehicles. Thanks to the hydrogen technology used and the increased number of new, lightweight hydrogen tanks with a total capacity of 51.2 kg, the bus performs exceptionally well on longer routes. It can travel 600 km on a single refueling (based on e-SORT 2 energy consumption tests), while retaining all the benefits of electric drive. It takes about 20 minutes to fully refuel the vehicle. Solaris batteries, with a capacity of about 60 kWh, serve as an auxiliary power source, used, for example, during acceleration, as well as for energy storage.

The Solaris Urbino 18 hydrogen is equipped with a modular drive system, with components located on the roof and at the rear of the vehicle. This solution increases passenger capacity (up to 140 people), facilitates vehicles’ maintenance and optimizes the bus’s driving parameters.

To date, Solaris has delivered more than 260 hydrogen buses to its customers, with nearly 600 more in the company's order portfolio. At the end of 2023, Solaris was the European leader in e-mobility, having supplied the largest number of battery and hydrogen vehicles among all manufacturers since 2012.