In full-year 2023, Volkswagen was the largest electric car brand in Germany and the Tesla Model Y was the best-selling battery-electric vehicle (BEV).
2023 (January to December): Volkswagen regained its position as the leading electric carmaker in Germany while Tesla slipped to second place with lower sales volumes. Although battery-electric vehicle sales in Germany increased in 2023, the market share increased only moderately to 18.4%. The Tesla Model Y was the favorite electric car of the Germans followed by the VW ID.4 / ID.5, and the Skoda Enyaq.
Latest German Car Sales Statistics: 2024: Market Overview, Brands, Models, Electric Cars; 2023-2007.
New Electric Car Sales in Germany in 2023 (Full Year)
| – | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Total German Car Market | 2,844,609 | 2,651,357 | 2,622,132 | 2,917,678 | 3,607,258 | 3,435,778 |
| All Electric Cars Sold | 524,219 | 470,559 | 355,961 | 194,163 | 63,281 | 36,062 |
| % Share Electric Cars | 18.4% | 17.7% | 13.6% | 6.65% | 1.75% | 1.05% |
In 2023, new battery-electric passenger vehicle registrations in Germany increased by 11.4% to 54,219 BEV while the total German new market expanded by 7.3%. The share of new cars being fully electric thus increased to 18.4%, which was a significantly smaller increase than in recent years.
The market was somewhat skewed by high electric car registrations at the end of 2022 as subsidies were reduced from the start of 2023. Similarly, electric car sales were high in summer as businesses lost subsidies from September. An unexpected abrupt cancelation of subsidies in mid-December to private buyers of electric car buyers came too late to really influence the numbers for 2023 but introduced uncertainty into the market and is likely to hang heavily over the industry in the first months of 2024.
The industry typically called on the government to increase subsidies rather than supplying cheaper cars. The German auto media also claimed VW is planning to delay the introduction of a cheaper electric car model by more than a year. The German carmakers continue to concentrate at the top end of the market leaving a huge opening for cheaper entrants, whether from France, China, or elsewhere.
Best-Selling Electric Car Brands in Germany in 2023
The 20 best-selling electric car brands in Germany in the full-year 2023 according to the KBA were:
| – | Brand | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| 1 | Volkswagen | 70,628 | 63,206 | 72,110 | 46,193 |
| 2 | Tesla | 63,685 | 69,963 | 39,714 | 16,694 |
| 3 | BMW | 40,420 | 23,470 | 16,535 | 8,700 |
| 4 | Mercedes | 36,703 | 25,182 | 12,278 | 4,494 |
| 5 | Audi | 30,596 | 28,322 | 14,937 | 8,356 |
| 6 | Hyundai | 28,845 | 32,877 | 26,667 | 15,941 |
| 7 | Opel | 27,765 | 29,297 | 18,010 | 6,963 |
| 8 | Skoda | 23,499 | 12,194 | 16,127 | 4,751 |
| 9 | Fiat | 23,180 | 29,911 | 12,516 | – |
| 10 | MG Roewe | 18,526 | 8,774 | – | – |
| 11 | Seat | 17,504 | 12,595 | 4,603 | 2,149 |
| 12 | Smart | 17,416 | 12,190 | 24,019 | 16,035 |
| 13 | Renault | 15,505 | 27,858 | 32,709 | 31,477 |
| 14 | Kia | 15,099 | 11,456 | 9,568 | 5,909 |
| 15 | Mini | 13,953 | 11,744 | 10,140 | 4,365 |
| 16 | Dacia | 12,406 | 14,369 | 4,045 | – |
| 17 | Peugeot | 10,081 | 15,371 | 12,887 | 4,008 |
| 18 | Volvo | 8,502 | 5,212 | – | – |
| 19 | Polestar | 6,288 | 6,984 | 2,615 | 1,015 |
| 20 | Porsche | 5,706 | 4,789 | 5,228 | 3,203 |
| Source: KBA |
Volkswagen reclaimed the title as the top-selling electric car brand in Germany in 2023 with higher sales. Tesla, last year’s leading battery-electric car brand, slipped back to second with lower sales than a year ago.
BMW and Mercedes significantly increased electric car sales in 2023 and moved up from ninth and eighth to third and fourth. Audi improved one position.
Hyundai slipped from third to sixth and Opel from fifth to seventh with weaker sales volumes. Skoda nearly doubled sales and entered the top ten from 13th. Fiat slipped from fourth to ninth.
MG Roewe more than doubled sales to enter the top ten.
A brand to watch is BYD at 24th with 4,135 electric car sales in Germany — in the final quarter of 2023, BYD was the largest electric car producer in the world ahead of Tesla and second in the full year.
Best-Selling Electric Car Models in Germany in 2023
The 20 best-selling electric car models in Germany in the full-year 2023 according to the KBA were:
| – | BRAND | MODEL | SALES 2023 | SALES 2022 |
| 1 | TESLA | MODEL Y | 45,818 | 35,426 |
| 2 | VW | ID.4, ID.5 | 36,353 | 24,847 |
| 3 | SKODA | ENYAQ | 23,498 | 12,184 |
| 4 | FIAT | 500 | 22,608 | 29,635 |
| 5 | VW | ID.3 | 22,270 | 23,286 |
| 6 | AUDI | Q4 | 18,061 | 12,406 |
| 7 | SEAT | BORN | 17,464 | 12,564 |
| 8 | TESLA | MODEL 3 | 15,865 | 33,841 |
| 9 | BMW | X1 | 14,694 | 884 |
| 10 | MINI | MINI | 13,953 | 11,744 |
| 11 | OPEL | CORSA | 13,861 | 14,979 |
| 12 | MERCEDES-BENZ | GLA | 13,839 | 6,883 |
| 13 | MG | 4 | 13,263 | 1,769 |
| 14 | BMW | 4ER | 12,869 | 3,769 |
| 15 | DACIA | SPRING | 12,406 | 14,366 |
| 16 | HYUNDAI | KONA | 11,599 | 17,029 |
| 17 | HYUNDAI | IONIQ5 | 11,069 | 14,080 |
| 18 | OPEL | MOKKA | 10,994 | 12,916 |
| 19 | SMART | FORTWO | 10,689 | 9,700 |
| 20 | AUDI | Q8 | 9,967 | 21 |
For the second consecutive year, the Tesla Model Y was the top-selling electric car model in Germany in 2023 while the VW ID.4 / ID.5 moved up two places to second.
The Skoda Enyaq nearly doubled sales to move from 15th to third. The Fiat 500 slipped from third with weaker sales while the VW ID.3 maintained its fifth place.
The Audi Q4 entered the top ten from 14th and the Seat Born from 13th. As a result, half of the top ten electric car models in Germany in 2023 were from the Volkswagen Group.
Tesla Model 3 sales more than halved and the sedan slipped from second a year ago to eighth. A model update is due early 2024.
The BMW X1 is a new entrance on the top ten while the Mini rounded out the top-sellers by improving from 16th a year ago.
The Opel Corsa, Dacia Spring, Hyundai Kona, and Hyundai Ioniq5 slipped out of the top ten.
Latest German Car Sales Statistics: 2024: Market Overview, Brands, Models, Electric Cars; 2023-2007.
