Electric cars are being purchased in Germany more often than hybrids or purely internal combustion engine models. For the first time in history [June 2026]

A big surprise. According to data from Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), pure electric vehicles accounted for as much as 28.4 percent of new cars in Germany in June, being registered more frequently than vehicles with other powertrains. Older hybrids came in just behind them at 28.1 percent, while gasoline models accounted for 20.5 percent. Diesels, once unbeatable, made up only 11.4 percent of the passenger car market. At the bottom were plug-in hybrids, which are closely following in diesel’s footsteps: 10.9 percent.

Electric vehicles leading the way, with Tesla Model Y topping the list among them

Electric vehicles topped Germany’s list of most popular powertrains for the first time in history, with 84,507 units sold compared to 296,378 of all new cars. The share of BEVs in sales increased by 78.2 percent year-on-year, allowing them to overtake hybrids, which dominated the rankings in April and May (source). Germany produces around Poland’s annual output per month, even though its population is only 2.2 times larger than Poland’s.

Number of cars with various powertrains sold in different months in Germany (c) ADAC, compiled from KBA data

The most popular model among electric vehicle owners was the 1/ Tesla Model Y, with 6,023 registrations. In second place was the 2/ VW ID.3, but it lagged far behind the leader (3,514 units), followed by the 3/ Skoda Enyaq and the 4/ Skoda Elroq, which had dominated the statistics just a month earlier. Among all vehicles, regardless of propulsion type, the top four were 1/ VW Golf, 2/ VW T-Roc, 3/ Tesla Model Y, and 4/ VW Tiguan. By the end of 2025, one in twenty-four vehicles on German roads (4.1 percent) was already fully electric, with plug-in hybrids accounting for another 2.3 percent.

With such growth rates, BEVs could make up over 5 percent of the total passenger vehicle fleet in our western neighbors by the end of 2026.

Volkswagen’s strong presence at the top also secured it first place among the most preferred manufacturers (17.2%). Followed by 2/ BMW (8.8%). The next two domestic brands, 4/ Mercedes (8%), and 5/ Audi (6.4%), were overtaken by 3/ Skoda (8.4%). 7/ Opel (4.4%) lost to 6/ Seat (5.9%), indicating that Germans are gradually losing interest in this manufacturer. 12/ Tesla (2.6%) barely edged out 14/ BYD (2.1%), and if the Chinese company maintains its current pace, it will leave Elon Musk’s firm behind in a year.

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