Used or new bus: purchase and financing costs compared

A new 12-metre Mercedes-Benz Citaro currently costs from €280,000 to over €330,000 excluding VAT, according to contract awards in European public tenders. A used 12-metre Citaro city bus, ready for work, costs about €25,000 excluding VAT as an example. The difference is about €270,000 per bus, and for the price of one new bus you can buy about 11 used ones.

Below you will find real prices from tenders and listings, why prices abroad cannot be compared directly with prices in Greece, the cost of a loan, how depreciation works and how quickly the bus pays for itself. All prices exclude VAT, so the comparison is like for like.

How much does a new Mercedes-Benz Citaro cost?

In European tenders in 2025 and 2026, a new 12-metre diesel Citaro was mostly awarded at €296,000 to €333,000 per bus. These prices are public: transport operators publish the value of every contract in the EU’s TED database, with Daimler Buses as the supplier.

We calculated the price per bus by dividing the contract value by the number of vehicles. In two of the contracts the model is named explicitly as the Citaro Ü. In the others the supplier is Daimler Buses and the specification is that of the Citaro.

Prices are rising. In December 2023 two 12-metre city buses were awarded at €265,000 each. Three years later, comparable buses cost €296,000 to €333,000, which is 12% to 25% more.

How much do new intercity buses and coaches cost?

New intercity buses and coaches from Daimler Buses also cost from about €250,000 upwards. In an Italian tender in 2026 for 12-metre Euro 6 diesel intercity buses with an Intouro specification, the maximum value was about €249,500 per bus. A Class III touring coach was awarded in Spain in 2025 at €280,600.

Nearly new buses are not cheap either. In listings, Tourismo coaches two and three years old are advertised at close to €280,000, almost the price of a new one. Citaros aged one to three years hardly ever reach the open market, because operators keep them for years.

How much does a Citaro a few years old cost in Europe?

In European listings, a 2017 or 2018 Euro 6 Citaro is advertised at about €100,000 to €120,000 excluding VAT, even with high mileage. You can check the prices yourself on large listing platforms such as mobile.de.

This shows where the big loss of value happens. Between a new bus at €296,000 and a Citaro aged 8 or 9 years there is a difference of about €22,000 for every year of age. The first owner pays for that drop. Whoever buys used buys the bus after it has already happened.

Why does a bus cost one price in Germany and another in Greece?

The price in a German listing is the price of the bus where it stands, as it is. To work in Greece, the same bus goes through several more steps, and each of them has its cost:

• Transport from Germany or wherever the vehicle is.
• Customs procedures and registration, with the fees and paperwork they require.
• Inspection and servicing: oils, filters, brakes and whatever else it needs to go on the road safely.
• Bodywork and paint, so the bus looks good for your passengers.
• Roadworthiness test and plates, so it is ready to work from day one.

That is why the final price of a bus ready for work in Greece is naturally quite a bit higher than the price in a German listing, often double. When you compare, compare the bus you can put on the road the next day rather than the number in a listing on its own.

How much does a used Citaro cost in Greece?

For the comparison in this article we use a used 12-metre Citaro city bus at €25,000 excluding VAT. The price is an example, but a realistic one for a Citaro in good condition, registered and ready for work.

The price of every bus depends on its year, mileage, emission class and equipment. You will always find current prices on the Citaro page.

How much money do you save with a used bus?

With a used Citaro city bus at €25,000 you save about €271,000 compared with a new one at €296,000, which is about 92% of the purchase cost. With the money for one new bus you can buy about 11 used ones.

For a company that is starting or growing, this means the capital stays in the business. Money that is not tied up in one vehicle can go into a second and third bus, new routes, drivers or a cash reserve.

How much does financing cost?

With a loan the gap grows, because interest is charged on the amount. According to the Bank of Greece, new business loans in August 2026 had an average rate of 4.94% up to €250,000 and 4.69% from €250,000 to €1 million.

The interest on the new bus alone, about €51,800, would buy two used Citaros like the one in our example. Comprehensive insurance premiums also mainly follow the value of the vehicle, so the used bus costs less there every year too.

How does depreciation work?

Tax depreciation spreads the cost of the bus into yearly amounts that are deducted as an expense. The table in Article 24 of Greek Law 4172/2013 sets 16% a year for passenger transport vehicles, and depreciation starts the month after the vehicle goes into service.

For public-use buses in a KTEL fleet, the Greek tax authority accepted a rate of 5% a year in a 2016 decision. A used bus is depreciated on the price you paid for it, at the same rate.

Depreciation does not make the new bus cheaper. It only spreads a much larger amount you have already paid over the years. With a used bus, the amount the bus has to earn back is almost 12 times smaller. For the rate that applies to your business, ask your accountant.

How quickly does the bus pay for itself?

A used Citaro at €25,000 pays for itself in a few months of work, while a new one at €296,000 needs years. The table shows how many months it takes to cover the purchase price, depending on the net profit the bus makes each month after fuel, driver and maintenance.

The monthly profit is an example and varies with every job, and the table does not include interest. The ratio stays the same, though: with the used bus, every trip after payback is profit, while with the new one you are still working to pay it off.

Is a used bus reliable enough for work?

Yes, if you choose it well. Buses are built for hundreds of thousands of kilometres, and in Greece the average bus on the road is about 18 years old according to ACEA. Even Mercedes-Benz stresses that the residual value of a bus matters as much as the original investment.

To make the purchase a good one:

1. Check the condition: engine, gearbox, brakes, rust and electrics. All the points are in our pre-purchase inspection checklist.
2. Choose the right engine: see what the codes mean in our article on Mercedes bus engines.
3. Check the emission class and the licence: contracts and public-use licences come with conditions on emission class and age. See the Euro classes and ask us which vehicles suit your licence.
4. Plan the maintenance: part of what you saved keeps the bus in excellent condition. See our maintenance tips.

For the whole buying process, from searching to registration, see our used bus buying guide.

Where can you find used buses at a good price?

In the HellasBus catalogue every bus has a price, mileage, emission class and photos. You will find city buses such as the Citaro and MAN Lion’s City, intercity buses and coaches and Sprinter minibuses.

Tell us what work you want to do and what your budget is, and we will tell you which bus makes sense for you. Call +30 23520 61222 or send a WhatsApp message to +30 6977 400157.