Quarter of every new car in Germany is now fully electric

New KBA data shows 59,969 battery-electric cars registered in May 2026, up 39.3% year on year, while petrol slumped 23.7% and diesel 13%.

Germany’s new-car market shifted further toward electrification in May 2026. The country registered 59,969 fully electric passenger cars, 39.3% more than a year earlier, lifting the BEV share to 25.0%.

Hybrids remain the largest group among electrified vehicles. May saw 95,466 hybrid registrations, up 3.6% on last year, for a 39.9% share. Of that total, 27,921 cars were plug-in hybrids — PHEVs grew by 10.9% and took 11.7% of the market.

As electrified versions climbed, classic combustion engines retreated. Petrol cars accounted for 51,806 registrations, down 23.7% versus May 2025, with their share falling to 21.6%. Diesel models logged 30,547 registrations, a 13.0% decline, for a 12.8% share. Average CO₂ emissions of new passenger cars came in at 97.2 g/km, 10.8% lower than a year ago.

The takeaway: combustion engines haven’t vanished from Germany, but their slice of the market is shrinking fast. One in four new cars is already fully electric, and together with hybrids, electrified vehicles claimed almost two thirds of May registrations. European manufacturers will keep pouring resources into BEVs and hybrids, while petrol and diesel versions may gradually get less attention, especially in mass-market segments.