Germany continues to see a rise in car ownership, with a density of 590 passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants recorded at the beginning of 2025, according to data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). This figure represents an increase from 588 cars per 1,000 inhabitants in the previous year and 587 in 2023, continuing a trend of increasing car density since 2008.
Significant regional disparities exist across the country. The highest car densities in 2025 were found in the western states of Saarland (646 cars per 1,000 inhabitants), Rhineland-Palatinate (641) and Bavaria (635). Conversely, the city-states of Berlin (334), Bremen (427) and Hamburg (435) registered the lowest densities, a factor attributed to their well-developed public transport networks. Saxony recorded the lowest density among the non-city states, at 542 vehicles per 1,000 residents.
While the overall trend is upward, some regions experienced a decrease in car density. All three city-states and the state of Hesse saw declines; Hesse decreased from 623 to 622 cars per 1,000 inhabitants in 2025.
The total number of registered cars in Germany also reached a new high, with 49.3 million passenger cars registered as of January 1, 2025, according to the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), compared to 49.1 million the previous year. The shift towards electric mobility is reflected in these numbers, although at a moderate pace. As of the beginning of 2025, pure electric vehicles comprised 3.3 percent, or 1.65 million, of the total registered car stock, up from 2.9 percent a year earlier.
The proportion of newly registered electric vehicles is considerably higher. During the first half of the year, approximately 250,000 all-electric cars were registered – a record – representing 17.7 percent of all new registrations.
Despite the ongoing rise in car density, overall CO2 emissions from road traffic have not increased proportionally. According to environmental-economic total accounts, road traffic emitted a total of 154.7 million tons of CO2 in 2023, including 88.9 million tons from private households, averaging 1.1 tons per capita. Compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019, total CO2 emissions from road traffic decreased by 13.8 percent, down from 176 million tons.