German EV Sales Dropped 3% in January 2023

In Germany, government incentives to encourage buyers were reduced in January 2023, resulting in a decline in electrified vehicle sales. By reducing prices, Tesla offset the downward trend and increased sales.

According to information provided by the KBA motor transport authority, the number of full-electric vehicle registrations decreased by 13% to 18,136. The number of plug-in hybrid vehicles sold decreased by 53% to 8,850.

Diesel car registrations decreased by 1.2% to 39,230, while gasoline car registrations increased by 3.5% to 69,922. When compared to the same month last year, the total number of passenger cars sold in Germany decreased by 2.6% to 179,247 units in January.

With 39 percent of the market, gasoline vehicles remained the most popular, followed by diesel vehicles with 21.9%. The industry association VDA stated in a statement that the change in subsidies for electric vehicles at the beginning of the year had a direct negative effect on new registrations. Full-electric cars had a share of 10.1%, while plug-in hybrids had a share of 4.9%. In January, government incentives for full-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids were significantly reduced.

According to VDA President Hildegard Mueller, full-electric vehicle sales are expected to rise by 8% this year to 765,000, while plug-in hybrid vehicle sales are expected to fall by 30% to 255,000. After slashing car prices by up to almost 17% in the middle of January, Tesla saw an increase in sales. The manufacturer of electric vehicles saw a 912 percent increase in registrations, reaching 4,241 for a 2.4 market share.

The Chinese-owned MG, with 483 new registrations in January 2023, was one of the other winners; Suzuki, which is up 112%; Land Rover, which is up 83%; and Nissan, which is up 50%.