EVs Overtake Petrol Cars in Germany's New-Car Market for First Time

In September 2026, Germany's vehicle registration authority, the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA), recorded 88,599 newly registered battery-electric cars, a market share of 34.5 percent. For the first time on a monthly basis, that put electric cars ahead of petrol-powered cars, which fell to 44,632 units and a 17.4 percent share, down 29.2 percent year-on-year. Diesel registrations dropped 20.1 percent to 23,058 units, or 9 percent of the market, the KBA reported.

Germany's September tipping point

The reversal has been building through 2026. Battery-electric cars held roughly 22 percent of new registrations in January, according to a report by German news site Lomazoma based on KBA figures, before climbing to September's 34.5 percent. Averaged over January to September 2026, battery-electric vehicles held a 27.2 percent share, up from 19.3 percent for the full year 2025, according to Autobild's analysis of KBA data. The previous monthly record for battery-electric share, 31.7 percent, had been set in August 2023, Autobild noted.

Total car registrations in Germany rose 9.0 percent year-on-year to 256,774 units in September, and average CO2 emissions of new cars fell 19.6 percent to 82.7 grams per kilometer, the KBA said.

Why combustion models are losing ground

A revived federal purchase subsidy is a central driver, according to reporting by t-online and Lomazoma, both citing KBA registration data. Applications have been accepted since mid-May 2026, retroactive to purchases made from January 2026, and can reach between €1,500 and €6,000 depending on household income, vehicle model and family size; households earning under €45,000 a year qualify for the maximum €6,000. By early October, roughly 100,000 applications had been approved, t-online reported.

The price gap between electric and combustion cars has also narrowed sharply. In September 2026, electric cars cost on average about €2,100 more than comparable petrol models, down from a gap of more than €7,300 in 2024, according to Lomazoma's report. Germany's public charging network has expanded to more than 212,000 points, including about 156,000 standard chargers and nearly 56,000 fast chargers, the same report said.

Beyond electric cars gaining ground, demand patterns within the combustion segment have shifted too. According to t-online's analysis of KBA figures, sports car registrations fell 34.7 percent year-on-year in September, the steepest decline of any segment, while recreational vehicle (motorhome) registrations dropped 29.8 percent, continuing a decline from pandemic-era highs. T-online described the trend as practical considerations outweighing lifestyle preferences in car buying.

The wider European picture

Germany's shift mirrors a slower but steady trend across the European Union. Battery-electric cars held a 20 percent share of new EU registrations in the first five months of 2026, up from 15.3 percent in the same period of 2025, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA). Hybrid-electric cars remained the single largest category at 37.8 percent, while plug-in hybrids held 9.7 percent. Combined petrol and diesel share fell to 30.1 percent, from 38 percent a year earlier, ACEA said.

ACEA figures show battery-electric registrations grew fastest in Italy (+75.7 percent), France (+55.4 percent) and Germany (+40.9 percent) over that period. Overall EU new car registrations rose 4 percent year-on-year through May 2026.

The EU-wide shift takes place against a 2023 regulation, confirmed by the European Parliament, that sets a fleet-wide target of zero CO2 emissions for new passenger cars and vans sold from 2035 — a 100 percent cut from 2021 levels — with an intermediate target of a 55 percent reduction for cars by 2030.

• A revived German purchase subsidy of €1,500–€6,000, applied retroactively from January 2026
• A narrowing average price gap between EVs and combustion cars, from over €7,300 in 2024 to about €2,100 in September 2026
• Expanded charging infrastructure, with over 212,000 public charging points in Germany
• High fuel prices and declining demand for diesel and petrol models
• An EU-wide 2035 zero-emission target for new cars and vans