A total of 664,571 new passenger cars were registered in Germany in the first quarter of 2025, of which 371,918 were vehicles with alternative drive systems (pure electric drive, hybrids with and without plugs and gas drive). While the overall passenger car market was down 4.3% on the same quarter of the previous year, new registrations of alternative drive systems rose by 22.1%, with the same number of working days. Alternative drive systems accounted for around 56.0% of all new registrations during this period, of which around 44.9% were attributable to international brands. In March, the market for alternative drive systems was up 25.5 percent, with 145,189 new registrations. The market share of international vehicle manufacturers was 47.5 percent.
Incoming orders for the overall passenger car market in the first quarter of 2025 were 11.2% higher than in the same period of the previous year.
“Despite the current weak market development in the first quarter, slightly positive momentum in incoming orders gives reason to hope that the market could recover somewhat. The new government must now quickly create clarity for prospective buyers in order to take the momentum with it and achieve a noticeable effect,” says VDIK President Imelda Labbé.
New registrations of purely battery-electric passenger cars (BEV) in the first quarter of 2025 were around 38.9 percent higher than in the same quarter of the previous year, at 112,968 units. This growth should be seen against the backdrop of the weak prior-year quarter following the abrupt end of private e-purchase subsidies at the end of 2023. The BEV share of total new passenger car registrations has reached 17.0% since the beginning of the year, while the share of international manufacturers in the BEV market was 37.9%. In the same period last year, the share of international brands was 2.6 percentage points lower. In March, the BEV market saw an increase in registrations of 35.5% with 42,521 vehicles, bringing the BEV market share to 16.8%.
“The share of battery electric vehicles at 16.8% is not yet sufficient to achieve the CO2 fleet limits, despite positive momentum in incoming orders. The coalition agreement between the CDU, CSU and SPD does hold out the prospect of a wide range of possible support measures for electric vehicles. However, the scope and time horizon remain vague. This will initially lead to further uncertainty among e-car customers. We urgently need concrete measures now, otherwise the urgently needed ramp-up of electric mobility will continue to be postponed,” says VDIK President Imelda Labbé.
The international vehicle manufacturers were able to make gains, particularly in hybrid vehicles without plugs. Their market share was 48.1 percent in the first three months of 2025 and even 51.3 percent in March. Overall, there was an increase of 10.5% in this segment in the first quarter of 2025. 192,265 new registrations correspond to a 28.9% share of passenger car registrations.
The international vehicle manufacturers’ market share of vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive (PHEV) rose significantly by 10.0 percentage points to 45.2% in the first quarter; in March, it was even 48.7%, 10.5 percentage points higher than in the same month last year. Overall, plug-ins also recorded a strong increase in the first quarter of 2025, with a total of 63,799 new vehicles rolling onto the roads, 41.8% more than in the same quarter of the previous year. The share of all new passenger car registrations rose to 9.6 percent, and in March 2025 it even exceeded the ten percent mark for the first time since the end of the PHEV purchase subsidy at the end of 2022.
The VDIK regularly updates the list of electric vehicles of its member companies. The VDIK electric list can be accessed here.
| March | January-March | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| +/- (%) |
Share of total car market (%) |
Share of international brands (%) |
+/- (%) |
Share of total car market (%) |
Share of international brands (%) |
|||
| BEV | 42.521 | 35,5 | 16,8 | 38,8 | 112.968 | 38,9 | 17,0 | 37,9 |
| PHEV | 26.553 | 65,8 | 10,5 | 48,7 | 63.799 | 41,8 | 9,6 | 45,2 |
| FCEV | 3 | -85,7 | 0,0 | 100,0 | 8 | -76,5 | 0,0 | 100,0 |
| Electric Vehicles (total) |
69.077 | 45,7 | 27,2 | 42,6 | 176.775 | 39,9 | 26,6 | 40,6 |
| HEV including: |
74.860 | 11,7 | 29,5 | 51,3 | 192.265 | 10,5 | 28,9 | 48,1 |
| full-hybrid | 12.705 | 9,7 | 5,0 | 93,6 | 28.466 | 5,5 | 4,3 | 91,6 |
| mild-hybrid | 62.155 | 12,1 | 24,5 | 42,6 | 163.799 | 11,5 | 24,6 | 40,6 |
| CNG | 1 | -96,6 | 0,0 | 100,0 | 1 | -98,4 | 0,0 | 100,0 |
| LPG | 1.251 | 1,7 | 0,5 | 98,6 | 2.877 | -34,3 | 0,4 | 98,3 |
| Alternative Drivetrains (total) |
145.189 | 25,5 | 57,3 | 47,5 | 371.918 | 22,1 | 56,0 | 44,9 |
| Petrol | 70.414 | -29,4 | 27,8 | 40,7 | 189.683 | -26,6 | 28,5 | 40,8 |
| Diesel | 37.890 | -21,7 | 14,9 | 102.962 | -21,7 | 15,5 | ||
| Passenger car (total) |
253.497 | -3,9 | 44,6 | 664.571 | -4,3 | 43,1 | ||
Glossar
Elektrofahrzeuge: BEV, PHEV und FCEV
BEV, Batterieelektrisches Fahrzeug, engl: Battery Electric Vehicle
PHEV, Plug-In-Hybrid, engl: Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle
FCEV, Brennstoffzellenfahrzeug / Wasserstofffahrzeug, engl.: Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle
HEV, Hybride ohne Stecker bzw. nicht aufladbar, engl.: Hybrid Electric Vehicle
CNG, Gasförmiges Erdgas, engl: Compressed Natural Gas
LPG, Flüssiggas bzw. Autogas, engl: Liquified Petroleum Gas
Als Mild-Hybride werden Modelle mit einer maximalen Leistung des E-Motors von 20 KW eingestuft, bei Voll-Hybriden beträgt die maximale Leistung des E-Motors mehr als 20 KW.
