Germans own almost 50 million passenger cars

Germans own more and more cars. At the beginning of the year, according to the Federal Statistical Office, a record 49,3 million passenger cars were registered nationwide. The number of registered passenger cars rose to a record high. Accordingly, there were 590 passenger cars per 1.000 citizens at the beginning of 2025. Compared to previous years, this represents a slight increase: at the beginning of 2024, there were 588 passenger cars per 1.000 people; in 2023, according to Tagesschau, there were 587. The number of cars in Germany has been rising continuously since 2008, according to the Federal Statistical Office. The authority bases its statistics on figures from the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) and its own calculations. Overall, the number of registered passenger cars in Germany reached a peak of 49,3 million on the reference date of January 1, 2025; on January 1, 2024, it was 49,1 million.

In terms of the total number of passenger cars, electromobility plays a minor role: only 3,3 percent or 1,65 million of the more than 49 million registered passenger cars were all-electric vehicles. However, electric cars account for a significantly higher proportion of newly registered passenger cars: in the first half of 2025, around 250.000 all-electric cars were registered in Germany – also a record value according to the Federal Statistical Office. This corresponded to a share of 17,7 percent of all new registrations.

Regional differences in car density are significant: at the beginning of the year, it was highest in Saarland with 646 passenger cars per 1.000 inhabitants, followed by Rhineland-Palatinate with 641 cars per 1.000 people and Bavaria with 635 passenger cars per 1.000 citizens. The lowest car density was in the city-states: Berlin with 334 passenger cars per 1.000 residents, followed by Bremen (427 cars per 1.000 people) and Hamburg (435 passenger cars per 1.000 people).

MK