New registrations of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) reached 604,144 units in the first nine months of 2026, accounting for around 27.2 per cent of the total passenger car market – an increase of 9.1 percentage points compared with the same period in 2025. This is evident from an analysis of figures from the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) carried out by the Association of International Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (VDIK). September saw the highest-ever BEV market share on record: around 34.5 per cent of all new passenger car registrations last month were purely battery-electric. New BEV registrations in the first nine months of 2026 were around 58.1 per cent higher than the previous year’s level, whilst those from international brands rose by as much as 78.1 per cent. International brands thus held a market share of 46.1 per cent in the BEV market; in September, this figure stood at 45.8 per cent. In September 2026, a total of 88,599 new BEV passenger cars were registered, 94.7 per cent more than in the same month last year.
VDIK President Imelda Labbé: “International manufacturers are a driving force behind the rise of electric mobility in Germany. Their BEV registrations more than doubled in September, growing significantly faster than the market as a whole. With new technologies, a growing range of models and attractive offers, they are providing important incentives for purchase. To sustain this momentum, we need reliable framework conditions and, above all, affordable charging electricity. The reduction in electricity tax announced by Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz would therefore be an important step. It is crucial that charging point operators pass on this relief to their customers. Equally important are transparent and easily comparable charging tariffs, so that consumers know the costs before they start charging.”
In the first nine months of 2026, the market for alternative powertrains as a whole (purely electric, plug-in and non-plug-in hybrids, and gas-powered vehicles) grew by 23.3 per cent to 1,495,262 vehicles, with international brands accounting for around 44.3 per cent. The share of new registrations with alternative powertrains in the overall market stood at 67.3 per cent during this period, around 9.9 percentage points higher than in the same period the previous year. In September 2026, 189,072 passenger cars with alternative powertrains were newly registered, which is around 31.7 per cent more than in the same month the previous year.
New registrations of plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles also recorded positive growth rates over the first nine months of 2026. A total of 247,489 PHEVs were newly registered during this period, representing an increase of 13.7 per cent compared with the first nine months of 2025. This represented 11.1 per cent of all new passenger car registrations, around 0.8 percentage points higher than in the same period the previous year. The PHEV market share of international brands stood at approximately 41.7 per cent during this period. In September, 27,681 new PHEV passenger cars were registered (+/- 0.0 per cent), giving them a market share of 10.8 per cent.
Taken together, electric vehicles (BEVs, plug-in hybrids and fuel cell vehicles) accounted for a market share of 38.3 per cent in the first nine months of 2026, with 851,644 new registrations. This represents an increase of 41.9 per cent compared with the same period last year. In September 2026, the electric vehicle market recorded 116,280 new registrations, up by 58.9 per cent.
New registrations of non-plug-in hybrid vehicles rose by 4.9 per cent in the first nine months of 2026. 632,695 new registrations account for 28.5 per cent of all new passenger car registrations. The market share of international car manufacturers in the hybrid segment stood at 42.7 per cent during this period. In September, around 2.4 per cent more non-plug-in hybrid vehicles were newly registered than in the same month the previous year.
In addition, 10,922 LPG passenger cars (+21.3 per cent) were newly registered in the first three quarters of 2026. In September, new registrations of LPG passenger cars totalled 1,602 units (+79.8 per cent).
New registrations of purely internal combustion engine passenger cars reached 726,414 units in the first nine months of 2026, of which 455,980 were petrol-powered (-22.7 per cent) and 270,434 were diesel-powered (-12.2 per cent). Petrol cars accounted for 20.5 per cent of passenger car registrations, whilst diesel cars accounted for 12.2 per cent.
| September | January-September | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| +/- (%) | Share of total car market (%) | Share of international brands (%) | +/- (%) | Share of total car market (%) | Share of international brands (%) | |||
| BEV | 88.599 | 94,7 | 34,5 | 45,8 | 604.144 | 58,1 | 27,2 | 46,1 |
| PHEV | 27.681 | 0,0 | 10,8 | 46,0 | 247.489 | 13,7 | 11,1 | 41,7 |
| FCEV | 0 | -100 | 0,0 | – | 11 | -76,6 | 0,0 | 100,0 |
| Electric Vehicles (total) | 116.280 | 58,9 | 45,3 | 45,9 | 851.644 | 41,9 | 38,3 | 44,8 |
| HEV including: | 71.190 | 2,4 | 27,8 | 42,2 | 632.695 | 4,9 | 28,5 | 42,7 |
| Full-hybrid | 14.195 | 5,9 | 5,5 | 85,5 | 107.349 | 8,1 | 4,8 | 87,1 |
| Mild-hybrid | 56.995 | 1,6 | 22,2 | 31,5 | 525.346 | 4,2 | 23,6 | 33,6 |
| CNG | 0 | 0,0 | 0,0 | – | 1 | -66,7 | 0,0 | 100,0 |
| LPG | 1.602 | 79,8 | 0,6 | 99,9 | 10.922 | 21,3 | 0,5 | 99,6 |
| Alternative Drivetrains (total) | 189.072 | 31,7 | 73,6 | 45,0 | 1.495.262 | 23,3 | 67,3 | 44,3 |
| Petrol | 44.632 | -29,2 | 17,4 | 45,4 | 455.980 | -22,7 | 20,5 | 45,2 |
| Diesel | 23.058 | -20,1 | 9,0 | 270.434 | -12,2 | 12,2 | ||
| Passenger car (total) | 256.774 | 9,0 | 45,1 | 2.221.798 | 5,3 | 44,6 | ||
Electric vehicles: 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
Hybride, Hybrid ohne Stecker bzw. nicht aufladbar, engl.: Hybrid Electric Vehicle
CNG, Gasförmiges Erdgas, engl: Compressed Natural Gas
LPG, Flüssiggas bzw. Autogas, engl: Liquified Petroleum Gas
Models with a maximum e-motor output of 20 KW are classified as mild hybrids, while full hybrids have a maximum e-motor output of more than 20 KW.
