Analysis: Cars under 20,000 euros are becoming rare, while electric cars resist this trend

Image: Leapmotor

According to ADAC, the number of new vehicles available at a list price below 20,000 euros is declining significantly. The automaker’s club reports that only 16 new cars from mainstream brands are currently available below this price threshold in the German market. The analysis also showed that five years ago, the number of such vehicles was much higher—35 models were available for under 20,000 euros in 2021.

Notably, none of the 16 current models are from German manufacturers. Five years ago, however, there were still five models by domestic makers available under 20,000 euros. Currently, the cheapest German car is the VW Polo, whose base price of 20,380 euros (as of August 2026) is just above that threshold.

Five years ago, there were at least three vehicles available for around 10,000 euros. No new cars can be found at this budget level today. The cheapest new car currently costs 13,590 euros (Dacia Sandero TCe 100 Essential).

Those interested in electric cars can now find three models that run solely on electricity and fall below the 20,000 euro price threshold for the first time this year: Dacia Spring, Leapmotor T03, and Renault Twingo E-Tech Electric. According to ADAC, there were no pure electric cars available at this price point five years ago.

According to the auto club, car prices have risen overall because costs across the entire value chain have increased, while more advanced technology is now required or expected.

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About the author

Thomas Langenbucher is an expert in electromobility with experience in the automotive and financial industries. Since 2011, he has been covering electric cars, sustainable technologies, and mobility solutions for ecomento.de. Learn more.

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