2011 Full Year Best-Selling Electric Cars in Germany in 2011

The most popular electric cars in Germany in 2011 were the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Opel Ampera, and Karabag 500E. Germany saw only 2,154 new electric vehicle registrations.

Red Opel Ampera
© GM Company

In 2011, the best-selling electric cars in Germany were the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Opel Ampera, Karabg 500E, Peugeot iOn, and Citroen C-Zero. Although new electric passenger vehicle registrations in Germany quadrupled, the overall number was only 2,154 cars. This nevertheless almost doubled the number of electric vehicles to 4,541 electric cars in total registered on German roads.

List of the Top-Ten Best-Selling Electric Cars in Germany in 2011

The German car magazine Auto Bild on January 13, 2012, published a list of the most popular electric car models sold in Germany in 2011. The car sales figures were compiled from Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt data and estimates by manufacturers.

Manufacturer Electric Cars Sold in Germany in 2011
1 Mitsubishi i-MiEV 683
2 Opel Ampera 241
3 Karabag 500E 216
4 Peugeot iOn 208
5 Citroen E-Zero 200
6 Fräger Stromos 112
7 Renault Kangoo Z E 108
8 Tesla Roadster circa 100
9 Tazzari Zero cica 50
10 Karabag Fiorino E 44

Source: Auto Bild 2/2012

The Kraftfahrt Bundesamt’s list of top-ten most-registered electric cars in Germany in 2011 includes models that are also sold in normal petrol or diesel versions and exclude some models included in the calculations of AutoBild. (The KBA considers the Ampera as a hybrid.)

Electric Car Make & Model Cars Registered in 2011
1 Mitsubishi I-Miev 683
2 Smart Fortwo 328
3 Peugeot Ion 208
4 Citroen C-Zero 200
5 Mercedes A Class 138
6 BMW 1 Series 113
7 VW Golf 81
8 Fiat 500 65
9 Audi A1 49
10 Suzuki Splash 23
Source: Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt

The Best-Selling Electric Cars in Germany in 2011

The market for purely electric cars in Germany remains woefully small. Nonetheless, the 2,154 new electric passenger vehicle registrations in Germany in 2011 were almost four times more than the 541 electric cars sold in 2010.

However, it is expected that the electric car market in Germany will expand fivefold during 2012. Several major manufacturers will sell electric cars in Germany from 2012 including the Opel Ampera, very similar Chevrolet Volt, an electric Smart, Nissan Leaf, and a range of Renault cars. In 2011, only a hundred electric cars were sold to private individuals.

The number of hybrid cars sold in Germany grew by 2,000 cars to 12,622 in 2011. In comparison, Germany’s favorite car, the Volkswagen Golf, were sold 258,059 times as conventional petrol and diesel models.

About the author:

Henk Bekker

Henk Bekker is a freelance writer with over 20 years of experience in online writing. His best-selling cars website has been reporting car sales statistics since 2008 with classic car auction prices focusing on the most expensive automobiles sold at public auctions in the past decade. He also owns the travel websites European-Traveler.com and Lake Geneva Switzerland. Henk holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School and an MSc in Finance from the University of London.

Comments are closed.