New registrations – More than every second new electric car is an SUV – Auto & Mobil

Flensburg (dpa) – If it runs on electricity, it is usually an SUV: In the first two thirds of the current year, more than half of the newly registered purely battery-electric cars (BEVs) in Germany belonged to this category. Specifically, it was just under 51 percent, according to current data from the Federal Motor Transport Authority. If you also include off-road vehicles, which are counted separately by the KBA but are often perceived by consumers as SUVs, the figure is almost 55 percent. Minis, small and compact cars together, on the other hand, only make up just under 26 percent.

The dominance of SUVs and off-road vehicles is therefore even greater in pure electric vehicles than in the overall market. There they account for almost 41 percent of new registrations. And the dominance of SUVs in the electric vehicle sector has recently increased even further. In 2023 as a whole, SUVs only accounted for 48 percent of BEVs, compared to 42 percent in 2022. The trend is also evident including off-road vehicles, with 53 percent last year and 43 percent the year before last.

Industry expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer believes that the general popularity of the vehicle type is the main reason for the high numbers in the BEV sector. Anyone launching a new car today would be well advised to offer it as an SUV, he says. In addition, the design is well suited to BEVs, as there is usually space for the batteries under the higher floor.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:240917-930-234540/1