Overview

• New-car sticker prices climbed about 40% between 2019 and 2024, lifting the price-to-income ratio from 1.16 to 1.29 and redirecting buyers into leasing and used-car markets.
• Annual ownership expenses vary from €1,028 in Cottbus to €1,505 in Bonn, with parking, insurance, workshop and energy costs driving a €477 city-to-city spread.
• Resident parking permit fees range from €20 in Bremerhaven to €360 in Bonn, making them a key factor in annual cost disparities.
• Workshop hourly rates average €157 in eastern cities versus €173 in western ones, with top rates exceeding €210 in Hamburg and Munich.
• A 54-year driving career now costs about €496,400 on average, a 48% increase since 2012 that outstrips the price of an average German home.