2026 (Q1): The German new car market expanded by 5.2%, with Volkswagen the top-selling brand, followed by Skoda and Mercedes.
New passenger vehicle registrations in Germany during the first quarter of 2026 increased by 5.2% to 699,404 cars compared to 664,571 cars registered in 2025 (Q1) for use on German roads for the first time. Electric car sales increased even faster to take more than a fifth of the total German new car market. The Volkswagen Golf was the top-selling car model in Germany thus far in 2026.
Latest German Car Sales Statistics: 2026 (HY): Brands, Models, Electric; 2026: (Q1); 2025: Market Overview, Brands, Top 50 Models, Electric; 2024-2007.
Germany New Car Market in 2026 (Q1)
The German new car market expanded by 5.2% during the first quarter of 2026. New passenger vehicle registrations were up a strong 16% in March 2026.
Energy or Power Sources of New Cars in Germany in 2026 (Q1)
The power sources of new cars sold in Germany in 2026 (Q1), according to the KBA, were:
| Power Source | Sales 2026 (Q1) | Sales 2025 (Q1) | % Share | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 159,058 | 189,683 | 22.7 | -16.1 |
| Diesel | 96,311 | 102,962 | 13.8 | -6.5 |
| Hybrid | 282,680 | 256,064 | 40.4 | +10.4 |
| – Plug-in | 76,114 | 63,799 | 10.9 | +19.3 |
| Electric (BEV) | 159,630 | 112,968 | 22.8 | +41.3 |
Battery-electric vehicles (BEV) increased sales in Germany during 2026 (Q1) by 41% to take a 22.8% share of the new car market. In March 2026, the all-electric car share was 24%, with more electric than purely petrol cars sold in Germany.
60 Best-Selling Car Brands in Germany in 2026 (Q1)
The 60 largest car brands in Germany during the first three months of 2026, according to the KBA, were:
| R | Brand / Marke | Sales 2026 (Q1) | % Share | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 699,404 | 100.0 | +5.2 | |
| 1 | VW | 131,012 | 18.7 | -5.3 |
| 2 | SKODA | 62,438 | 8.9 | +24.6 |
| 3 | MERCEDES | 59,095 | 8.4 | -2.4 |
| 4 | BMW | 58,547 | 8.4 | +8.1 |
| 5 | AUDI | 51,586 | 7.4 | +7.1 |
| 6 | SEAT | 37,443 | 5.4 | -14.6 |
| 7 | OPEL | 33,564 | 4.8 | +38.9 |
| 8 | FORD | 23,905 | 3.4 | -7.4 |
| 9 | HYUNDAI | 23,706 | 3.4 | +16.5 |
| 10 | FIAT | 17,031 | 2.4 | +65.6 |
| 11 | TOYOTA | 15,706 | 2.2 | -14.9 |
| 12 | PEUGEOT | 15,428 | 2.2 | -0.9 |
| 13 | KIA | 14,376 | 2.1 | +3.5 |
| 14 | DACIA | 13,770 | 2.0 | -21.1 |
| 15 | RENAULT | 13,392 | 1.9 | -3.7 |
| 16 | CITROEN | 13,055 | 1.9 | +12.0 |
| 17 | MAZDA | 12,830 | 1.8 | +20.8 |
| 18 | TESLA | 12,829 | 1.8 | +160.0 |
| 19 | VOLVO | 12,601 | 1.8 | -22.4 |
| 20 | MINI | 9,134 | 1.3 | +36.3 |
| 21 | BYD | 9,120 | 1.3 | +644.5 |
| 22 | NISSAN | 9,078 | 1.3 | -3.2 |
| 23 | PORSCHE | 8,360 | 1.2 | +5.0 |
| 24 | SUZUKI | 6,190 | 0.9 | +1.5 |
| 25 | MG ROEWE | 6,177 | 0.9 | +12.3 |
| 26 | LAND ROVER | 3,801 | 0.5 | +14.0 |
| 27 | LEAPMOTOR | 3,168 | 0.5 | +370.7 |
| 28 | MITSUBISHI | 3,057 | 0.4 | -40.3 |
| 29 | JEEP | 2,843 | 0.4 | -14.3 |
| 30 | HONDA | 2,192 | 0.3 | +10.3 |
| 31 | SMART | 1,517 | 0.2 | +50.0 |
| 32 | ALFA ROMEO | 1,352 | 0.2 | -30.1 |
| 33 | POLESTAR | 1,284 | 0.2 | +50.2 |
| 34 | XPENG | 1,207 | 0.2 | +179.4 |
| 35 | SUBARU | 795 | 0.1 | -26.5 |
| 36 | LEXUS | 794 | 0.1 | -26.5 |
| 37 | KGM | 640 | 0.1 | -20.7 |
| 38 | DS | 455 | 0.1 | -60.3 |
| 39 | FERRARI | 421 | 0.1 | -8.3 |
| 40 | ALPINE | 366 | 0.1 | +145.6 |
| 41 | LAMBORGHINI | 338 | 0.0 | -8.6 |
| 42 | GWM | 330 | 0.0 | -42.5 |
| 43 | MAN | 312 | 0.0 | -14.3 |
| 44 | IVECO | 271 | 0.0 | +15.8 |
| 45 | LYNK & CO | 264 | 0.0 | +633.3 |
| 46 | ASTON MARTIN | 142 | 0.0 | +3,450.0 |
| 47 | BENTLEY | 124 | 0.0 | -24.4 |
| 48 | MASERATI | 107 | 0.0 | -28.2 |
| 49 | TOGG | 95 | 0.0 | X |
| 50 | INEOS | 86 | 0.0 | +1.2 |
| 51 | LOTUS | 78 | 0.0 | -20.4 |
| 52 | ROLLS ROYCE | 75 | 0.0 | -25.7 |
| 53 | VINFAST | 61 | 0.0 | +10.9 |
| 54 | LUCID | 35 | 0.0 | – |
| 55 | ZEEKR | 30 | 0.0 | X |
| 56 | MORGAN | 22 | 0.0 | +15.8 |
| 57 | DEEPAL | 21 | 0.0 | X |
| 58 | CADILLAC | 18 | 0.0 | -35.7 |
| 59 | JAECOO | 10 | 0.0 | X |
| 60 | NIO | 8 | 0.0 | -87.5 |
| Source: KBA |
Top-Selling Car Brands in Germany in 2026 (Q1)
Volkswagen easily maintained its traditional role as the leading car brand in Germany in the first three months of 2026 despite lower volume sales. VW sales were down 5.3% during the quarter. As a result, market share slipped to 18.7% from 20.8% in 2025 (Q1)
Skoda, which is part of the Volkswagen Group, increased sales by a quarter to take second place in Germany for the first time ever. Skoda leapfrogged both Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Mercedes sales were weaker and only around 500 cars more than BMW.
Audi sales were stronger, but Seat (including Cupra) sales were down 14.6%. In Germany, of the top brands only Toyota performed worse and slipped out of the top ten for the first quarter of 2026.
Opel had a strong recovery in Germany at the start of 2026. Other Stellantis brands, including Fiat (+66%), Citroen (+12%), and Leapmotor (+371%), also had strong growth in Germany thus far in 2026. Peugeot sales were flat.
The worst-performing top-20 brands in Germany in the first quarter of 2026 were Volvo (-22%) and Dacia (-21%).
The best-performing top-20 brand was Tesla, with sales up 160% for the quarter (and 315% or 9,252 cars in March 2026). Lower down the rankings, Aston Martin improved by 3,450% and Lynx by 633% — the actual volumes were low for both brands.
BYD just missed out on the top-20 in Germany despite sales increasing by 645%. Leapmotor, the Chinese brand of Stellantis, increased sales by 370% to become the 27th largest car brand in Germany — up from 37th in 2025(Q1). It outsold well-established brands including Mitsubishi, Honda, and Smart.