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Germany’s Car Market Surges on EV Demand as Tesla Rebounds

A new €6,000 purchase subsidy is widely viewed as lifting battery‑electric sales.

Overview

  • In March 2026, Germany registered 294,161 new cars, up 16% year over year, bringing first‑quarter growth to 5.2%.
  • Battery‑electric cars led the gains with 70,663 registrations, a 66.2% jump that lifted their market share to 24.0%.
  • Tesla logged about 12,800 battery‑electric registrations in the first quarter, including roughly 9,250 in March, placing third behind Volkswagen and Skoda as BMW slipped to fifth.
  • Tesla’s Model Y was Germany’s top‑selling SUV in March and ranked second in the overall model Top 10 for the month.
  • Observers cite the new federal purchase bonus and end‑of‑quarter delivery waves as key drivers of the spike, noting KBA figures track registrations rather than new orders.