Electromobility: The pain threshold for buying a car is less than 30,000 euros

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Expensive electric car: Mercedes Maybach

Photo: Aly Song / REUTERS

The expansion of electromobility is crucial for the success of the transport transition, as the German government also knows. By 2030, they want to have 15 million electric cars on Germany's roads, compared to only 1.3 million so far. In the long term, it is hoped, many people in Germany will buy an electric car.

If only it weren't for the high prices for the battery cars. They scare off many.

According to a survey, the price limit for the majority of motorists for a car is less than 30,000 euros. This was stated by more than half (55 percent) of respondents in a survey conducted by the management consultancy Deloitte. A quarter of those surveyed named a purchase price of between 30,000 and 50,000 euros.

For most people, the price is more important than the brand: "55 percent don't care about the origin of the manufacturer, as long as the vehicle meets their needs," it said.

According to the survey, interest in buying electric cars remains at a low level: 13 percent of the Germans surveyed said they would prefer a battery car (BEV) the next time they bought a car. In the previous year, it was 14 percent. Purchase intentions for a petrol or diesel car rose from 45 to 49 percent. An Allensbach survey for the German Academy of Science and Engineering had shown slightly higher values. According to the study, the circle for which the purchase of an electric car is generally considered stagnates at 23 percent.

Deloitte industry expert Harald Proff said the government purchase premium had boosted demand for electric cars. But at the end of last year, the subsidy was canceled. (Read more about this here). "The premature discontinuation will lead to a slump in sales figures, as electric cars are still significantly more expensive than comparable combustion engines." In the case of the lower and middle vehicle classes, buyers are price-sensitive. The fact that the running costs of an electric car are usually lower than those for combustion engines apparently does not make up for the purchase price disadvantage for many interested parties.

For the ramp-up of electric vehicles, affordable vehicles for the mass market must be found quickly, according to Proff. One problem: "So far, manufacturers have hardly made any money with electric cars." VW, for example, recently discontinued production of the e-Up model because higher standards, such as new rules for cybersecurity, made production no longer profitable (read more about this here). So far, only three electric cars can be bought on the German market for less than 30,000 euros, according to a recent ADAC evaluation: Fiat 500, Dacia Spring and Renault Twingo.

For its Global Automotive Consumer Study in autumn, Deloitte surveyed 27,000 citizens in 26 countries about their preferences in the field of automobiles and electromobility, 1500 of them in Germany.

joe/dpa