In December, the German Federal Motor Transport Authority reported 54,654 new electric car registrations, reflecting a notable 21.6% increase compared to November but a substantial 47.6% decline from the record-setting figures of December 2022. The month witnessed a surge in registrations, likely prompted by the abrupt announcement of the end of the environmental bonus, contributing to a spike in electric vehicle demand.
December 2023 marked the strongest month for electric car registrations after August, with a total of 524,219 electric cars newly registered throughout the year. The overall passenger car market experienced a 23% decline in new registrations, closing the month at 241,883 units.
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The market for battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) saw a disproportionate decline of 58.3%, accounting for 17,894 new registrations in December.
The decline in electric vehicle registrations is attributed to the exceptional circumstances of December 2022 when the anticipation of a reduction in the environmental bonus led to a surge in early electric car registrations. While the recent termination of the environmental bonus had an impact, the sudden announcement likely mitigated the extent of the effect observed in the previous year.
Breaking down the registration numbers for other drive types in December, 74,894 new petrol vehicles (16.1% increase from December 2022), 37,403 new diesel vehicles (10.3% increase), 1,320 LPG-powered vehicles (11.4% increase), and 23 natural gas-powered vehicles (80.5% decrease) were registered. Additionally, 73,581 hybrids were registered, marking a 33.2% decline. Excluding plug-in hybrids, 55,687 non-plug-in hybrid vehicles were registered.
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Battery-electric cars constituted approximately 22.6% of all new car registrations in December, while plug-in hybrids made up around 7.4%. In total, vehicles with a plug accounted for 30% of all newly registered vehicles. Petrol vehicles mirrored this figure at 30.1%, diesel-powered vehicles comprised 15.5% of new registrations, gas-powered vehicles made up 0.01%, and hybrids without plugs constituted 23%.
