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Electric cars from Volkswagen at the IAA trade fair in September 2023

Photo: Krisztian Bocsi / Bloomberg / Getty Images

Significantly more cars were newly registered in January 2024 than in the same month last year: The Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) reported an increase of 19.1 percent, meaning 213,000 new cars were sold. The proportion of purely electric cars was relatively low at 10.5 percent - in the entire previous year the proportion was 18.4 percent. Nevertheless, the number of new battery-electric cars grew to 22,474, an increase of 23.9 percent compared to January 2023.

This means that the market continues to lag well behind the federal government's electric car targets, but at the same time the abrupt end of the state purchase bonus did not cause an immediate slump. January was the first full month without the bonus, which had previously been up to 4,500 euros from the federal government plus a mandatory manufacturer discount of up to 2,250 euros. The premium was originally supposed to be reduced on January 1, 2024 and end during the year. Because the federal government had to correct its budget planning, the funding abruptly and completely stopped in mid-December. Numerous car manufacturers then jumped in with their own discounts and price cuts.

Comparisons of the new KBA figures with the new registrations in January 2023 are difficult because back then, too, a reduction in subsidies for electric cars at the turn of the year and the complete elimination of subsidies for plug-in hybrids had a major impact on car sales. Many consumers brought forward their purchases at the time - this resulted in very high numbers of new registrations in November and December 2022 and unusually low numbers at the beginning of 2023. There was no such boom at the end of the year this time.

The prices for electric cars in Germany are lower than ever thanks to generous discounts. You can read here which models are particularly cheap and what buyers should consider.

According to Reuters, the car trade association ZDK explained that because of the special effect a year ago, the increase was not a signal of optimism. “The order rates continue to remain at the low level of the same month last year,” said ZDK President Arne Joswig. The management consultancy EY also sees more shadows than light in the car market. »We are in the fifth year of crisis. New registrations are moving sideways and there is hardly any sign of a real recovery," said car expert Constantin Gall. The new additions of electric cars remained in reverse gear. "The electric segment as a growth engine will no longer be available this year, and the new car market as a whole is likely to stagnate at the current low level."

ani/ahh/dpa/Reuters