In full year 2024, the German new car market contracted by 1% to 2.8 million new passenger vehicle registrations in Germany with battery electric car sales sharply down.
New passenger vehicle registrations in Germany in 2024 were 1% lower than in 2023 with only 2,817,331 cars sold. The total German motorized vehicle market expanded by 0.5% with growth coming from motorcycles and heavy commercial vehicles. Battery-electric vehicle sales were down by over a quarter with market share at a four-year low. CO2 emissions of new cars sold in Germany in 2024 increased for the second consecutive year.
In 2024, the total German new car market was only 2,817,331 vehicles strong. The best-selling car brand in Germany was again Volkswagen with the VW Golf the top-selling car model. Volkswagen was the top electric car brand and the Tesla Model Y was the best-selling battery-electric car model in Germany.
Latest German Car Sales Statistics: 2024: Market Overview, Brands, Models, Electric Cars; 2023-2007.
German New Motorized Vehicle Market in 2024 (Full Year)
In 2024, total new motorized vehicle registrations in Germany expanded by 0.5% to 3,495,412 vehicles (Kraftfahrzeuge) — around 20,000 more vehicles than in 2023. Passenger cars (PKW) were by far the largest component of this total and decreased by 1% to 2,817,331 new passenger vehicle registrations — 27,278 fewer cars than in 2023. Sales of motorcycles and heavy commercial vehicles increased.
According to the KBA, the composition of the new motorized vehicle market in Germany in 2024 was as follows:
| Vehicle Category | Fahrzeugklasse | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | %24/23 |
| Motor Cycles | Krafträder | 251,169 | 222,046 | +13.1 |
| Cars (PKW) | Personenkraftwagen | 2,817,331 | 2,844,609 | -1.0 |
| Buses | Kraftomnibusse | 5,382 | 5,493 | -2.0 |
| Trucks (Lorries / LKW) | Lastkraftwagen | 316,928 | 290,693 | +9.0 |
| Tractor Units | Zugmaschinen insgesamt | 84,433 | 92,628 | -8.8 |
| – of which Semi-Trailer | – dar. Sattelzugmaschinen | 32,221 | 42,426 | -24.1 |
| Other motorized vehicles | Sonstige Kraftfahrzeuge | 20,169 | 21,077 | -4.3 |
| All Motorized Vehicles | Kraftfahrzeuge zusammen | 3,495,412 | 3,476,546 | +0.5 |
| Trailers | Kraftfahrzeuganhänger | 265,985 | 272,401 | -2.4 |
| Source: KBA |
New Passenger Car Sales in Germany by Month in 2024
New passenger vehicle registrations in Germany per month were as follows during the past three years:
New car sales in Germany struggled most months in 2024. The market was hindered by political struggles and uncertainty over the possibility of subsidies for battery-electric cars, which was unexpectedly suspended in mid-December 2023. The collapse of the federal government at the end of 2024 and an expected change in government following elections early in 2025 may put further pressure on the market during the first quarter of 2025.
New Car Sales in Germany by Year (2007-2024)
New passenger vehicle registrations in Germany in the full calendar year 2024 decreased by 1% to 2,817,331 cars — 27,278 fewer than in 2023. This was the fifth year in succession that the German new car market was smaller than three million vehicles.
New passenger vehicle registrations in Germany by year since 2007 were as follows:
| Year | German Car Sales | % Change |
| 2024 | 2,817,331 | -1 |
| 2023 | 2,844,609 | 7.3 |
| 2022 | 2,651,357 | 1,1 |
| 2021 | 2,622,132 | -10.1 |
| 2020 | 2,917,678 | -19.1 |
| 2019 | 3,607,258 | 5 |
| 2018 | 3,435,778 | -0.2 |
| 2017 | 3,441,262 | 2.7 |
| 2016 | 3,351,607 | 4.5 |
| 2015 | 3,206,042 | 5.6 |
| 2014 | 3,036,773 | 2.9 |
| 2013 | 2,952,431 | -4.2 |
| 2012 | 3,082,504 | -2.2 |
| 2011 | 3,173,634 | 9 |
| 2010 | 2,916,260 | -23.4 |
| 2009 | 3,807,175 | 23.2 |
| 2008 | 3,090,040 | -1.8 |
| 2007 | 3,148,163 | -9.2 |
| Source: KBA |
German Passenger Car Market in 2024 (Full Year)
In 2024, the popularity of petrol-engined cars increased — largely due to the cancelation of subsidies for plug-in hybrids and electric cars — with sales up 1.4% and a market share of 35.2% compared to 34.3% in 2023. Diesel sales were only 0.7% lower allowing the market share to increase to 17.2%
The sales of battery-electric cars in Germany in 2024 were sharply down. BEV sales contracted by 27.4% to only 380,609 electric cars for a market share of only 13.5% compared to 18.4% in 2023 and 17.7% in 2022. The UK overtook Germany as the largest market for battery-electric cars in Europe in 2024, if only by 1361 cars.
More German Car Sales Statistics for 2024
- → Latest German Car Sales Statistics
- 2024: German New Car Market Overview
- 2024: Best-Selling Car Brands in Germany
- 2024: Top 50 Car Models in Germany
- 2024: Best-Selling Electric Car Brands and Models in Germany
Latest German Car Sales Statistics: 2024: Market Overview, Brands, Models, Electric Cars; 2023-2007.
