Share of Germans willing to buy an electric car almost doubles to 58% – survey

While sales of electric vehicles (EVs) in Germany have stalled recently, the share of citizens who would consider buying one in the future has risen considerably, a survey conducted by consultancy Horvath has found. 58 percent of respondents said they are open to buying an EV as their next car, while one in three even said it was very likely that their next car would be electric, according to a report by news agency dpa which was carried by business weekly WirtschaftsWoche.  “Openness to buying an EV has increased considerably lately,” said Horvath automotive expert Georg Mrusek. He added that the share of positive replies had almost doubled compared to a previous survey conducted in April 2024. “Despite the partly negative atmosphere, people in Germany start to realise that they will at least have to consider EVs at their next car purchase,” Mrusek argued.

At the same time, the share of people explicitly ruling out buying an electric model had fallen to 20 percent of respondents. “The hardcore technology opponents are shrinking in numbers,” Mrusek commented. The consultant added that male respondents had a greater openness towards EVs than women (61% compared to 53%) and that high-income individuals would on average also be more open to the technology. Of those with an income of more than 100,000 euros per year, 80 percent said they would consider buying an EV. The greatest concerns with the technology continued to be high costs (28%), range (17%) and an inadequate charging network (16%).

After a boom in EV purchases in Germany fuelled by government support, registration have dropped to a share of 13.5 percent in 2024. Regarding total numbers of cars on the road, EVs had an even smaller share: About 1.6 million of them were circulating in October 2024, compared to 44 million cars with combustion engines.