Electric Cars Surge as Petrol and Diesel Lose Ground – BEV Share Rises to Record 34.5 Percent in September
Flensburg – Battery-electric passenger cars (BEVs) reached a record share of new registrations in Germany in September 2026, while fuel prices at the pump hit new highs. The BEV share of new passenger car registrations rose to the highest level recorded to date, while petrol and diesel cars lost significant ground year on year. The figures come from the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) and the ADAC automobile club.
BEV: 88,599 New Registrations, 34.5 Percent Share
A total of 256,774 passenger cars were newly registered in Germany in September 2026, up 9.0 percent from 235,528 in the same month a year earlier. BEV registrations rose 94.7 percent year on year to 88,599. Battery-electric cars thus accounted for 34.5 percent of new registrations, the highest share recorded to date, according to the German Association of International Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (VDIK).
Together with 27,681 plug-in hybrids, the electric share comes to 45.3 percent (116,280 registrations).
While BEVs gained strongly, registrations of petrol and diesel cars declined. Petrol car registrations fell 29.2 percent year on year to 44,632 in September 2026 (63,047 a year earlier). Diesel car registrations dropped 20.1 percent to 23,058 (28,871).
January to September: BEVs and Plug-in Hybrids Combined at 38.3 Percent
According to KBA statistics, new passenger car registrations from January to September 2026 rose 5.3 percent to 2,221,798 (2,110,348 in the same period of 2025). Of these, 604,144 were BEVs (382,202), equivalent to a share of 27.2 percent and an increase of 58.1 percent compared with the first three quarters of 2025.
Plug-in hybrid registrations rose 13.7 percent to 247,489 vehicles between January and September (217,760). Combined with BEVs, this gives a market share of 38.3 percent for the year to date.
Petrol car registrations fell 22.7 percent over the same period to 455,980 (589,951), while diesel car registrations declined 12.2 percent to 270,434 (308,001).
ADAC: Super E10 Averages EUR 2.266, Diesel EUR 2.386
In addition to the purchase incentive for electric vehicles, high fuel prices are prompting more and more drivers to switch to electrically powered vehicles. According to ADAC analysis, September 2026 was the most expensive month for refuelling to date, with record prices for Super E10 and diesel at the pump.
Super E10 rose by almost 12 cents from August to an average of EUR 2.266 per litre, while diesel rose by 16 cents to EUR 2.386. The highest daily prices recorded by ADAC were EUR 2.314 for Super E10 on September 16 and EUR 2.471 for diesel on September 17.
According to ADAC, crude oil prices alone do not explain the price trend. In April, Brent crude traded at times well above USD 100 per barrel, yet Super E10 cost noticeably less on average than in September. Besides crude oil prices, refining and distribution costs as well as taxes also influence fuel prices, ADAC said. The current price gap to earlier months cannot be fully explained by these factors, it added.
Federal Government: Fuel Tax Cut Since October 1, Fuel Price Cap by January 2027 at the Latest
To ease fuel prices, the federal government has cut the energy tax by 14 cents per litre from October 1 to the end of 2026, equivalent to around 17 cents including value-added tax. At 8 a.m. on October 1, prices fell by 14.5 cents for Super E10 and by 15.2 cents for diesel compared with the previous day, according to ADAC.
The government plans to introduce a temporary fuel price cap by January 1, 2027, at the latest. According to the government, it will hold talks with the oil industry on the matter.
Source: IWR Online, 07 Oct 2026
