Dusseldorf Shortly before the end of the year, car production picks up speed again. This is also reflected in the number of new registrations: 260,512 new cars were registered in Germany in November. That was about 31 percent more than in November last year, as reported by the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA).
The largest share of registrations, at just under a third, continues to be for city cross-country vehicles (SUVs), which critics view as particularly harmful to the climate due to their higher fuel consumption. In this segment, the number of new registrations also increased by more than 31 percent.
The increase in electric cars was particularly strong: almost 58,000 new vehicles with purely battery-electric drives came onto the roads in November. That was 44 percent more than in the same month last year. According to the KBA, more than every fifth new car had an electric drive – with the exception of plug-in hybrids.
“At the end of a generally disappointing automotive year, there is hope for a small final sprint,” said Reinhard Zirpel, President of the Association of International Motor Vehicle Manufacturers. “November went quite well. There are also indications of good registration figures for December.”
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
Year-on-year, the number of electric car registrations in Germany rose by 19 percent to 366,234 vehicles, while the total number of new registrations fell by 2.4 percent to 2.33 million cars. At 15.6 percent, the market share is almost three percentage points higher than in November 2021.
Overview: The most popular electric cars in comparison
From a company perspective, Tesla has reached third place in the German electronics market with 52,562 new registrations in the past eleven months of the year.
The VW Group is at the forefront with 93,981 new registrations. The bad news for Volkswagen: At the same time last year, 100,071 new registrations for electric cars were registered. The number in Germany has fallen by six percent.
In addition to Tesla, the French-Italian competitor Stellantis (second place) was also able to significantly increase new electric registrations. 61,119 e-cars mean an increase of 55 percent year-on-year. Only Tesla is growing a little faster in the electric segment. Hyundai-Kia came in fourth (35,931 new registrations, up nine percent).
The German premium manufacturers BMW (29,121 new registrations, plus 28 percent) and Mercedes (30,841 new registrations, minus five percent) occupied the places behind.
>> Read also: Cheap electric cars 2022 – These ten electric cars are available at a low price
Some electric bestsellers of recent years fought their way back into the top ten in November – for example the Hyundai Ioniq 5. The electric Mini, the Renault Zoe and the electric Smart, on the other hand, are no longer among the ten most registered electric cars.
The German premium brands BMW, Mercedes and Audi also did not make it into the top list – despite numerous electric models. In November, the Opel Corsa-e also had to drop out of the top spots.
10th place: Skoda Enyaq – 10,921 new registrations (as of November 2022)*
The electric crossover model continues to hold its ground in the top ten.
(Photo: obs)
The electric crossover SUV is popular because it shares a platform with the more expensive VW ID.4 and ID.5. However, if you order a new electric Skoda today, you have to wait up to 18 months.
Due to ongoing delivery problems, the model’s approval data fluctuate accordingly. With 1121 new registrations in November, the model fell back two places and achieved almost exactly the same number of registrations as in the previous month.
9th place: VW E-Up – 10,998 new registrations
The small electric car from VW is currently sold out in Germany. VW only processes the orders.
(Photo: dpa)
The small electric car was sold again at the beginning of the year in a strictly limited edition. Because the model should actually be discontinued, a successor is not expected until 2025.
>> Read about this: The small cars are dying out: why Renault Twingo, Ford Fiesta and VW Up disappear
But the discontinued model still has many fans. 1,487 new registrations for the electric Up in November put the model back among the ten most registered electric cars in 2022. This puts the small car pretty close to the VW mass model ID.3. However, in 2021, after eleven months, the small electric car was still number two in the electric segment and had 25,454 new registrations.
8th place: Audi E-Tron – 11,023 new registrations
At the end of the year, the Audi SUV overtakes some of its competitors.
(Photo: imago/Sebastian Geisler)
The first purely electric car from Audi was widely criticized after it was launched. The model is expensive and consumes too much energy, especially on the freeway. But when it comes to new registrations, the electric SUV can increase significantly in November.
>> Read about this: Wellness on wheels – the Audi E-Tron Sportback in the Handelsblatt Autotest
The E-Tron was newly registered in Germany 1,486 times in the past month alone – and thus significantly more often than competitors such as the Mercedes EQC (671 new registrations in November) or the BMW iX (429 new registrations).
7th place: Hyundai Ioniq 5 – 11,248 new registrations
The Korean electric car is also very popular in Germany.
(Photo: © 2022 Bloomberg Finance LP)
The Korean not only has a futuristic look, but also many qualities that other electric cars lack. Thanks to the 800-volt system – which only a few competitors like the Porsche Taycan offer – like its corporate twin Kia EV6, it charges significantly faster than most of its competitors. With 1475 new registrations in November, however, the model loses one place in the ranking.
>> Read about this: K-Pop on wheels – the Hyundai Ioniq 5 in the Handelsblatt Autotest
6th place: Hyundai Kona – 13,677 new registrations
Short delivery times, cheap leasing. This also makes the Kona interesting for many German drivers.
(Photo: Reuters)
The Hyundai electric model may stabilize again in November. The electric variant accounts for around 60 percent of new compact SUV registrations. In 2021, the Koreans’ model was revised somewhat, but the technical basis dates back to 2018.
>> Read about this: Electric SUV for the impatient – the Hyundai Kona Elektro in the Handelsblatt auto test
In November, new electrical registrations are slightly higher than in the previous month. 1647 copies were newly registered. In an industry comparison, the model only takes sixth place – and Hyundai was within striking distance of Tesla and VW for a long time. In the previous year, the Kona had already registered 16,096 new registrations after eleven months – that is significantly more.
5th place: VW ID.3 – 16,421 new registrations
The electric compact model is currently still a long way from its own claim.
(Photo: imago images/Arnulf Hettrich)
The ID.3 from Wolfsburg should become the Gulf of electric mobility. So far it hasn’t worked out properly, there were problems in production. A comparison with the previous year shows how big the problems at VW still are: After eleven months, the ID.3 was already registered 25,201 times in Germany in 2021. In a year-on-year comparison, new registrations fell by 35 percent.
>> Read about this: E for expectations – the VW ID.3 in the Handelsblatt auto test
The ID.3 is still a long way from the market leadership that the Golf held for years in the combustion engine segment. No wonder that VW revised the model just three years after the premiere. After all: With 3619 new registrations in November, the model can make up a little ground.
4th place: VW ID.4/ID.5 – 17,656 new registrations
After the ID.3, the SUV is the second car from Volkswagen that was designed exclusively as an electric vehicle.
(Photo: dpa)
In China, the medium-sized electric SUV was disappointing last year, and success in Europe is currently still manageable. The chip crisis recently put such a strain on production that VW even had to impose an electrical quota on its dealers. Only large dealers received a significant number of electric vehicles for 2022.
In November, the model delivered quite solid numbers. 2871 copies of the mid-range SUV ID.4 and the coupé variant ID.5 were registered in Germany – slightly more than in the previous month. This makes the ID.4 and ID.5 the most popular electric series in the VW Group this year.
3rd place: Fiat 500 – 23,123 new registrations
The small electric car from Italy is one of the most popular electric cars in Germany.
(Photo: Fiat)
Until August, the electric Fiat 500 was still the most popular electric car among Germans. In September, the little Italian had to vacate the top position. The new edition of the design classic was registered a total of 3904 times in the past month. More than any other electric model – but not enough to push the Californian competition back from the top.
More than every second Fiat 500 newly registered in Germany drives electrically – although the electric variant is significantly more expensive. Compared to the previous year, the brand has doubled the number of electric cars sold. For the Franco-Italian group Stellantis, the model is more than a respectable success – even if it will probably only be enough for bronze in 2022.
2nd place: Tesla Model 3 – 24,275 new registrations
The Model 3 has hardly been re-registered lately.
(Photo: dpa)
After two lean months, new registrations of the model jump again in November. There are reasons for this: Tesla has so far imported the Model 3 for the German market from China. Every ship delivery therefore leaves a clear mark on the KBA statistics.
The first mass model of the Californians was registered 6811 times in November. This made the Model 3 by far the best-selling electric car in Germany in the past month. In the previous year, however, 29,166 Model 3s were registered in Germany after eleven months – that is significantly more.
1st place: Tesla Model Y – 28,044 new registrations
The crossover model will also be built in the new Gigafactory in Grünheide.
(Photo: AP)
The mid-range crossover is also built in the Gigafactory near Berlin. In the middle of the year, Tesla boss Elon Musk scolded that the Grünheide plant was primarily burning money. To speed up the construction of the Model Y, production was halted for two weeks and rebuilt.
>> Read about this: Inflated efficiency pioneer – the Tesla Model Y in the Handelsblatt Autotest
In November, after a weak previous month, it is enough for second place again. 3825 vehicles were newly registered by the Federal Motor Transport Authority. Year-over-year, the Model Y continues to hold a solid lead over electric competition. If Tesla keeps up the pace, the best-selling electric car in Germany should be built for the second year in a row.
*Source: Kraftfahrt–federal office
More: These ten e-cars are available at a low price