EV growth drives German passenger car market recovery

New registrations of electric vehicles helped drive growth in the German passenger car market in April, despite continued declines in domestic production and exports, according to the latest figures from the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA).

A total of 249,300 new passenger cars were registered in Germany during April, representing growth of 3% compared to the same month last year. Across the first four months of 2026, registrations increased by 5% to 948,700 units.

However, the market remains significantly below pre-crisis levels, with registrations still more than 20% lower than in 2019.

Electric vehicles continued to be a major driver of market growth. Combined registrations of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) rose by 32% in April to 92,000 units, meaning electric models accounted for 37% of all new registrations during the month.

BEV registrations increased particularly strongly, rising 41% year-on-year to 64,400 units, while PHEV registrations grew by 13% to 27,600 units.

Year-to-date figures also showed strong momentum in the electric vehicle market. During the first four months of the year, registrations of electric passenger cars increased by 33% to 327,700 units. BEV registrations rose by 41% to 224,000 vehicles, while the PHEV segment grew 18% to 103,700 units.

Meanwhile, German passenger car production continued to face pressure. Domestic production totalled 352,400 units in April, down nearly 4% year-on-year. Production for the first four months of 2026 reached 1.42 million vehicles, almost 2% lower than the same period last year and still 15% below 2019 levels.

Detailed first-quarter production data highlighted the growing importance of electric vehicle manufacturing within Germany’s automotive sector. Production of internal combustion engine vehicles fell 2% to 749,400 units, while electric passenger car production increased slightly to 422,700 vehicles.

Battery-electric vehicle production rose 1% to 319,600 units, while PHEV production remained stable at 103,100 units. BEVs accounted for 29.9% of total domestic production during the quarter, with PHEVs representing a further 9.6% — both record shares for the German market.

Exports also softened during April, declining 3% year-on-year to 270,400 units. Since January, exports totalled 1.08 million passenger cars, down 2% on the same period last year. Despite growing international trade barriers, exports still represented 76% of domestic passenger car production.

Order intake presented a mixed picture. Domestic orders increased 9% in April, but orders from international markets declined 18%, resulting in an overall 15% fall in combined orders compared to April 2025.