July 20, 2026 - EVs Take The Lead In Germany

This is the Telemetry Transportation Daily for July 20, 2026, and I'm Sam Abuelsamid, Vice President of Market Research for Telemetry. 

June 2026 was a pivotal month for the German automotive market. For the first time ever, battery electric vehicles outsold all other powertrain types. According to the German Federal Motor Transport Authority, 84,057 new EVs were registered in June, accounting for 28.4% of the market, just ahead of hybrids at 28.1%, gas at 20.5%, diesel at just 11.4%, and plug-in hybrids at 10.9%. In 2015, the year that the VW dieselgate scandal exploded, 48% of all cars sold in Germany were diesel, and the decline follows the trend throughout Europe and much of the world. VW is now planning to discontinue some of its formerly top-selling diesel nameplates. 

While the Tesla Model Y remained the top-selling electric nameplate in Germany in June with 6,023 sales, Tesla's overall share of the market continues to lag behind brands that have more models available. With the discontinuation of the Model S and X, Tesla is left with just the Model 3 and Y.  By comparison, VW has more than two dozen electric models across its diverse lineup of portfolios and sold almost 26,000 vehicles in June.  That's a significant jump from the 18,900 sold in June 2025.  Even BMW Group sold over 10,000 EVs in June. 

The upward swing in German EV sales appears to be driven largely by rising fuel prices driven by the Iran war. Overall, EVs still account for only 4.1% of the 61 million registered vehicles in Germany, but as older combustion vehicles continue to be retired, that share will steadily increase. 

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