EV: sales figures reach low point according to KBA

A sad trend is emerging in the automotive industry. The Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) has now published statistics that show a drastic decline in the sale of electric cars. According to the KBA, the main reason for the dwindling appeal of EV is the abolition of the environmental bonus.

E-car with shrinking popularity

We recently reported that Mercedes has postponed its goal of a fully electric lineup from 2030 to the uncertain future. The Stuttgart-based car manufacturer is thus highlighting the declining demand for electric cars. This has now been underlined by statistics published by the KBA. According to this, the share of electric cars sold in February 2024 shrank by over 15%. In February 2023, it was still at a whopping 28%. This represents an unprecedented downturn.

Abolition of the scrapping bonus as the cause

You don’t have to look far to find the cause of the declining sales figures. In mid-December 2023, the traffic light coalition completely scrapped subsidies for e-cars without further ado. Neither consumers nor the market had expected this.

However, as the warehouses were full of new vehicles, manufacturers had to react quickly. Some appeased their customers by paying the missing subsidy out of their own pockets as a kind of discount. But of course this is not sustainable for car manufacturers in the long term.

Combustion engines and hybrids on the rise

While the e-car is annoyed by shrinking sales figures, the other engines are naturally delighted. Both hybrid engines and pure combustion engines are enjoying an upswing. The sales share of hybrid vehicles rose by 17.6% compared to the previous year. Combustion engines are also experiencing an upswing. Compared to February 2023, sales rose by 2.3%.

There was even an increase of almost 10% for cars with diesel engines. It therefore appears that the electric car is indeed making progress. Whether Germany is really doing itself a favor in economic terms is questionable. After all, other countries such as France and Italy are not even thinking of stopping subsidies. On the contrary. They are even increasing the incentives for the purchase of electric cars and are thus acting in a much more forward-looking way.