Overview
- Germany recorded 59,969 new battery‑electric vehicle registrations in May 2026, giving BEVs a 25 percent share of new car sales.
- Private buyers are the main growth engine, with private BEV market share at 36.4 percent in May and about 42,000 applications filed for the new purchase premium in its first two weeks.
- The used‑EV market has surged: inquiries and transactions roughly doubled, auction recovery rates rose and DAT reports average dealer sale prices after three years near 47 percent of list price, though analysts expect residuals to stabilise rather than climb.
- Independent range testing shows real‑world gains—NAF measured the BMW iX3 at 781 km—but Norway’s rollout highlights limits on local grids, winter range loss and risks from reliance on Chinese battery suppliers including recent supplier insolvencies.
- Automakers are divided on strategy: some are accelerating EV portfolios while others, such as Lotus, are backtracking to hybrids or ICEs, a split that underlines how supply‑chain, recycling and infrastructure issues will shape future policy and consumer costs.