Hybrids up 39 percent in March
New registrations of vehicles with alternative powertrains increased 15 percent in March compared to the same month last year. For the entire first quarter of this year, sales of new electric cars, hybrids with and without plugs, mild hybrids and gas-powered passenger cars grew 5 percent to nearly 292,000 vehicles.
Unplugged hybrids saw the strongest growth in March, up 39 percent, with 67,253 new registrations representing nearly a quarter of all new passenger car registrations. Among the hybrids, 10,332 were full hybrids. The VDIK market share for these vehicles is 94 percent.
In March, 60,932 new electric vehicles also hit the roads. This is a decrease of 1 percent compared to the same month last year. However, the picture is differentiated: Battery-electric passenger cars continued to grow, up 28 percent to 44,125 units. Plug-in hybrids recorded a slump of 39 percent, with 16,776 new registrations. These vehicles will no longer be eligible for the environmental bonus from the beginning of 2023. In the first quarter, 94,736 battery-electric passenger cars were newly registered (up 13 percent year-on-year). In addition, 37,545 plug-in hybrids were newly registered (minus 45 percent).
The VDIK regularly updates the list of electric vehicles from international manufacturers. The VDIK member companies currently offer 200 electric models (passenger cars and commercial vehicles) that customers can order in Germany. The VDIK electric list can be accessed here.
In the overall passenger car market, alternative drive systems have a share of 44 percent since the beginning of the year, which is one percentage point less than in the same period last year. Gasoline engines gained market share (37 percent), while diesels declined further to 19 percent.
| March | January – March | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Change vs. 2021 (%) |
Change vs. 2021 (%) |
Share of total car market |
Market share VDIK (%) |
||||
| BEV | 44,125 | 28 | 94,736 | 13 | 14 | 38 | |
| PHEV | 16,776 | -39 | 37,545 | -45 | 6 | 42 | |
| FCEV | 31 | -14 | 64 | -37 | 0 | 66 | |
| Electric Vehicles (total) | 60,932 | -1 | 132,345 | -13 | 20 | 39 | |
| HEV including: |
67,253 | 39 | 156,236 | 29 | 23 | 38 | |
| full hybrid | 10,332 | 31 | 23,968 | 29 | 4 | 94 | |
| mild hybrid | 56,921 | 40 | 132,268 | 28 | 20 | 33 | |
| CNG | 143 | -8 | 350 | -45 | 0 | 65 | |
| LPG | 1,161 | -33 | 3,068 | -39 | 0 | 99 | |
| Alternative Drivetrains (total) | 129,489 | 15 | 291,999 | 5 | 44 | 39 | |
| Petrol | 103,271 | 23 | 248,550 | 13 | 37 | 39 | |
| Diesel | 48,597 | 8 | 126,620 | 0 | 19 | 33 | |
| for information: | |||||||
| Passenger car (total) | 281,361 | 17 | 666,818 | 7 | 38 | ||
Electric vehicles: BEV, PHEV und FCEV
BEV, Batterieelektrisches Fahrzeug, engl: Battery Electric Vehicle
PHEV, Plug-In-Hybrid, engl: Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle
FCEV, Brennstoffzellenfahrzeug / Wasserstofffahrzeug, engl.: Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle
Hybride, Hybrid ohne Stecker bzw. nicht aufladbar, engl.: Hybrid Electric Vehicle
CNG, Gasförmiges Erdgas, engl: Compressed Natural Gas
LPG, Flüssiggas bzw. Autogas, engl: Liquified Petroleum Gas
Models with a maximum e-motor output of 20 KW are classified as mild hybrids, while full hybrids have a maximum e-motor output of more than 20 KW.