Horváth: Interest in electric vehicles has doubled in Germany in the first months of 2025

A double number of Germans (58%), compared to April 2024, are considering purchasing an electric car in February 2025, despite the decline in sales for this category of vehicles. This is the main conclusion of a survey on the largest car market in the European Union, conducted by Horváth, the global management consulting company, present in Romania since 2005.

Also, one in three Germans consider it very likely that their next car purchase will be an electric vehicle (EV). At the same time, the number of those who completely rule out purchasing an electric vehicle has decreased to 20%, which suggests a reduction in the group of opponents of this technology.

The study also shows that men are more open to electric vehicles than women (61% compared to 53%) and that people with high incomes show a greater interest in EVs. Of those earning over €100,000 annually, 80% are considering purchasing such a vehicle.

The main barriers identified in the adoption of EVs remain high costs (28%), limited range (17%) and the underdeveloped charging network (16%). However, trends indicate a gradual change in public perception as the infrastructure develops and the costs of the technology fall.

“Despite the reduction in government subsidies, which has led to a decline in sales and registrations, the electric vehicle market in Germany is not in a collapse, but in a resetting phase, between buyers’ expectations and manufacturers’ ability to meet them. The negative atmosphere surrounding this technology has not led to a decrease in interest, but on the contrary, we have seen it increase. Thus, as the industry finds solutions to the barriers that stand in the way of the purchase decision, the market will recover”, says László Pálházi, Senior Project Manager, Horváth Romania.

Amidst this increase in interest, the electric vehicle market in Germany is in a transitional stage, Horváth experts note. While, in recent years, EV sales have been supported by government subsidies, in 2024 their share in total registrations has decreased to 13.5%, amid a 27.4% sales reduction.

However, out of a total of 44 million passenger cars, approximately 1.6 million are now electric, marking significant progress in the adoption of electric mobility.