The color green is making a surprising comeback on Germany’s roads. While gray, silver, black, and white continue to dominate new car registrations, green saw a remarkable surge in 2025.
According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), more than 100,000 new green passenger cars were registered for the first time in over 20 years. This makes green one of the most prominent color trends beyond traditional vehicle colors—nearly on par with red and well ahead of other colorful paint finishes. Among non-neutral colors, only blue remains the clear frontrunner.
What may seem like a minor detail at first glance reveals, upon closer inspection, just how dynamic the automotive market is.
It’s not just colors that are changing—drivetrain types, vehicle fleets, and mobility patterns are also evolving. For businesses, local governments, and planning departments, it is therefore becoming increasingly important to factor current passenger vehicle data into their decision-making.
Is Germany really "Car Country"? At Nexiga, we use high-resolution data to calculate various market metrics based on different criteria, down to the household level. Most of the data isZip code at the municipal andZip code levels.
Mobility is changing—will the car remain relevant?
Data-Driven Decisions in a Mobile Future
Transportation Trends at a Glance
A look at transportation trends in Germany reveals a complex picture. The passenger car remains the most important mode of transportation, and the number of registered vehicles reached a new high in 2025, with approximately 49.3 million passenger cars.
At the same time, the way people use transportation is changing. Public transit is becoming more appealing, in part due to the Deutschlandticket. In cities, the share of bicycle and pedestrian traffic is increasing, while working from home and digital services are making some trips unnecessary. Nevertheless, for the majority of the population, the car remains a central part of daily life—especially outside major metropolitan areas.
In terms of planning, this means that anyone who wants to understand mobility must consider both the evolution of the vehicle fleet and the actual use of the transportation network.
The trend shows that while cars remain indispensable, they are being used in a more targeted way than they were a few years ago.
Passenger vehicle mileage—that is, the total number of kilometers traveled by car—is considered an important indicator of the actual use of the transportation system.
For decades, this trend has moved in only one direction: upward.
Rising employment rates, longer commutes, and increased leisure travel led to a steady rise in mileage. It wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic that there was a significant drop.
Lockdowns, remote work, and changes in mobility patterns led to a historic decline in passenger car traffic starting in 2020. Although mileage rebounded noticeably in the following years, pre-crisis levels have not yet been fully restored.
There are several structural reasons for this:
- Working from home reduces daily commutes.
- Online shopping is replacing some of the traditional shopping trips.
- Alternative modes of transportation are becoming increasingly important in urban areas.
- Higher energy costs and gas prices are leading to more careful planning of trips.
Visualization using Munich as an example
Passenger vehicle data provides an objective basis. For example, it enables the identification of regions with a high affinity for electric mobility, the assessment of sales potential for automakers, or the planning of new locations for retail, services, or charging infrastructure.
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Map of Vehicle Data and Traffic Volumes: For illustrative purposes, our map displays selected features using Munich and its surrounding area as an example. In addition, the "Traffic Density" dataset from our partner TomTom is shown for areas outside the city limits. This metric visualizes how heavily the road network in a given area is utilized during a specific time period.
Increasingly important for planning and sales
Precisely because mobility trends vary from region to region, reliable vehicle and traffic data is becoming increasingly important. Companies want to know:
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Where is traffic particularly heavy?
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Which types of propulsion systems are gaining popularity in certain regions?
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What is the potential for charging infrastructure?
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Where are certain car brands concentrated?
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Which areas are particularly attractive for sales, expansion, or marketing?
What vehicle data does Nexiga provide?
Nexiga provides comprehensive automotive data based on official registration figures from the Federal Motor Transport Authority. The data is organized at a granular level and is available for various geographic areas—ranging from municipalities to ZIP code areas andZip code.
This makes it possible to analyze vehicle structures in detail and compare them across regions.
Available features include, among others:
- Passenger cars by drive type
- Passenger cars by manufacturer and brand
- Passenger cars by age
- New passenger car and vehicle registrations
- Types of vehicle use (personal or commercial)
The data is suitable for market analysis, location assessments, and sales management.
Electric mobility continues to gain momentum
The market for alternative powertrains is currently experiencing particularly dynamic growth. Of the approximately 49.5 million registered passenger cars in Germany, the following now account for:
- approximately 20.34 million vehicles with all-electric powertrains,
- approximately 43.62 million vehicles with hybrid powertrains.
This trend is also continuing in new vehicle registrations. In May 2026, vehicles with alternative powertrains accounted for 64 percent of all new registrations. Of a total of just under 949,000 newly registered passenger cars, approximately 607,000 were equipped with an alternative powertrain. Just under 328,000 new cars, or 34.5 percent, were equipped with an electric powertrain—including battery-electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and fuel cell vehicles. Compared to the same period last year, this represents an increase of 32.8 percent.
This creates new challenges for businesses, energy suppliers, grid operators, and local governments in terms of infrastructure, supply, and site planning.
Whether it’s green vehicle paint, the growing share of electric vehicles, or changing driving habits—mobility in Germany is undergoing a transformation. For businesses and public institutions, it is becoming increasingly crucial not only to observe these changes but also to evaluate them based on data.
Passenger vehicle and traffic data provide the necessary foundation for this. Nexiga’s automotive and mobility data enable early detection of regional trends, identification of market potential, and well-informed investment decisions—from sales planning to infrastructure development.
08.06.2026
Jochen Wetzel has been part of the Nexiga team for more than 25 years and is one of the most experienced experts in site and regional planning as well as location intelligence. He advises companies across a wide range of industries on strategic issues related to site analysis, competitive analysis, and data-driven decision-making.
