Study: Switch to electric cars is only slowly gaining momentum
Private car buyers currently increasing, but only in small numbers, switching from combustion engines to e-cars. An analysis by a large insurance company shows.
The Skoda Elroq, whose base model is currently quite in demand and officially available from 33,900 euros.
(Image: Florian Pillau / heise Medien)
- Wolfgang Gomoll
For years, the car insurer HUK Coburg has been publishing a study on the status of the powertrain transition. Before we go into detail here, these findings need to be placed in context in two places. Otherwise, a false picture could quickly emerge. HUK Coburg uses internal figures for its presentation. As one of the major motor vehicle insurers in Germany, this is based on a database that can certainly be considered representative, even if it does not cover all registrations. It is also limited to private registrations, which account for only about a third of the new car market on average. Two-thirds of first registrations in Germany are therefore excluded here.
Only a small proportion switching
The current figures indicate that more private car buyers have switched from combustion engines to electric cars this year than in 2024. However, there is still no talk of a large-scale powertrain transition. The key figures from HUK Coburg's insurance portfolio reveal: Only 6.2 percent of all private vehicle changes in the summer of 2025 led from a combustion engine to a pure electric car. This is the highest value in two years. Compared to the low at the beginning of 2024, when registrations collapsed after the sudden end of state purchase support, the switching rate has more than doubled.
Not all manufacturers successful
Not all car manufacturers are benefiting from this. Tesla is plummeting in customer favor. The Model Y (Test) falls from a top position among new cars in 2024 with an e-switch share of 13.5 percent to eighth place in the new car purchase ranking in 2025 with a meager 3.6 percent. This is only about a quarter of the value at the time. Two reasons for this are obvious: Tesla's models are getting a bit old. On the other hand, other car brands have improved. Elon Musk's political activities probably also play a role. Chinese car brands are currently not bestsellers. None of the models from the Middle Kingdom make it into the ranking of the 15 most sought-after electric cars.
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When buying a new electric car, private customers most frequently choose the Skoda Elroq (9.6 percent), which has been on the market since January 2025, according to the HUK-Coburg analysis. This is followed by the Cupra Born (6.5 percent) and the BMW iX1 (5.6 percent). The VW ID.3 follows in fourth place with a share of 5.5 percent. Behind it, the next Skoda, the Enyaq, follows with 4.2 percent. Hyundai Inster (4.2 percent) and Kia EV3 (3.8 percent) take sixth and seventh place. The Renault 5 E-Tech, only available since 2025 makes it to 14th place with 2.1 percent.
Used electric cars increasingly in demand
When switching from combustion engines to used electric cars, a different picture emerges. The VW ID.3 dominates here with 5.9 percent. Places two and three are also in German hands with the Opel Corsa-e (5.1 percent) and the Mercedes EQA (4.9 percent). It is remarkable that the Smart Fortwo (2.6 percent / 12th place), Hyundai Kona (9th place with 3.3 percent) or Renault Zoe (fourth place with 4.2 percent / previous year 6.0 percent), which were very popular in 2024, have slipped in buyer preference. The former front-runner BMW i3 is only in 17th place in 2025 – its share has fallen from 6.1 to 1.9 percent, according to the HUK e-barometer. The analysis of buyer behavior also shows that used electric vehicles are more important than brand-new ones: More than half of private customers who switched to an electric car this year opted for a used car. In 2020, the share was still just over ten percent.
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More momentum with new subsidies?
The federal government is currently working on new subsidies that are planned to start in 2026. This could also include subsidies for the purchase of a used electric car. Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) advocates for "social leasing." This model is based on the French example and aims to make it easier for low-income households to switch to electric cars through affordable leasing rates. In France, the state covers around 27 percent of the vehicle price, while monthly rates are capped at 200 euros. Schnieder sees this as an "additional option" and points out that in addition to the planned vehicle tax exemption until 2035, the expansion of charging infrastructure and further purchase incentives are also being discussed.
Regional differences
There are still significant regional differences among car drivers willing to switch. In Bavaria and Lower Saxony, the most customers exchanged a combustion engine for an electric car in the third quarter of 2025. Accordingly, the stock quotas are also highest here. In HUK's insurance portfolio, the share of pure electric cars in Bavaria is around 3.9 percent and in Lower Saxony 3.8 percent. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia, on the other hand, are at the bottom. There, both the switching rates and the stock shares are only about half as high as in the "car states" of Bavaria and Lower Saxony.
(mack)