Germany approved 100,000 subsidies for cars. Tesla is winning, while Chinese companies are closing in.
The German Environment Ministry reported on October 5, 2026, that the number of approved applications for car subsidies had exceeded 100,000. By October 1, BAFA had accepted exactly 97,790 applications and paid out 432 million euros, with the 100,000 mark being surpassed a few days later.
The number of approved applications doubled in one month
The program was launched on May 19, but it covers vehicles purchased or leased from January 1, 2026. It is aimed at private households and applies to new electric vehicles, hydrogen vehicles, as well as selected plug-in hybrids and range-extended cars.
The processing speed for documents has increased significantly. As of September 1, BAFA had 52,473 approved applications, rising to 97,790 a month later. Disbursements increased from 117 million euros at the beginning of August to 230 million euros in September and 432 million euros in October. The actual number of applications submitted is likely higher, as the statistics cover only those cases that resulted in a positive decision.
Electric vehicles account for 91.6% of the approved applications, while plug-in hybrids make up 8.4%. Purchases and leasing divide the market almost evenly.
Tesla Leads, Leapmotor and BYD Ahead of Volkswagen
BAFA statistics refute rumors that Chinese brands dominate the program. Tesla leads with 12,155 approved applications, followed by Skoda at 7,224 and Cupra at 6,229. Further down the list are Leapmotor with 5,816, BYD with 5,814, Renault at 5,721, Volkswagen at 5,464, Kia at 5,424, Hyundai at 4,988, and BMW at 4,679. The Chinese brands didn’t win outright, but fourth and fifth places are hard to dismiss as insignificant.
The advantage of Tesla is even more pronounced among models. The Model Y received 8,297 applications, Skoda Elroq at 5,478, and the Model 3 at 3,845. Following are Citroen e-C3 with 3,583, Leapmotor T03 at 3,561, Volkswagen ID.3 at 3,541, Hyundai Ioniq 5 at 3,337, BMW iX1 at 2,939, Cupra Born at 2,806, and Dacia Spring at 2,402. The e-C3 moved up from ninth to fourth place, while the Spring replaced the Fiat 500e.
Renault has no model in the top ten, but its results are spread across the Renault 5, E-Twingo, Renault 4, and Scenica with 1,963, 1,257, 1,241, and 951 requests respectively. The most popular plug-in hybrid is the BYD Seal U DM-i with 1,436 requests. Luxury cars can also qualify for subsidies since the program has no strict price limit. As a result, even electric Porsches appear in the data.
Order your Tesla and take advantage of purchase bonuses using the referral link!
LovEV Newsletter
Want more content like this?
Sign up — we’ll send you a weekly summary once the newsletter starts.
