More than half of new electric cars sold in Germany are SUVs

Some 51% of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) newly registered in Germany in the first two thirds of the year were SUVs, according to government figures published on Tuesday.

If off-road vehicles are included, the figure is even higher, at just under 55%, the latest data from the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) shows.

By comparison, the category of small and compact cars only accounts for just under 26% of new EV registrations.

The dominance of SUVs and off-road vehicles is greater among pure electric vehicles than in the overall market. Taken together, they account for just under 41% of all new registrations.

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

Environmental organization Greenpeace, on the other hand, is very critical of the development. "The dominance of electric SUVs not only wastes resources, but is above all unfair," said Greenpeace transport expert Marion Tiemann. "Instead of meeting the demand for affordable electric cars for the general population, car manufacturers are concentrating on expensive electric SUVs to maximize their profits."