Which German brands performed well in the country’s EV market?
20 November 2025
As a leading European electric vehicle (EV) market, the fortunes of Germany’s carmakers are key to the continent’s plug-in success. But while some domestic brands are thriving, others are not. Tom Hooker, Autovista24 journalist, reviews the figures.
Germany’s EV market has enjoyed a positive 2025 so far, recording a year-on-year improvement of 46.3% between January and September. This equated to 596,585 sales, according to EV Volumes. Plug-in delivery pace was even stronger in the third quarter alone, with a 56.7% surge to 210,903 units.
These figures cemented the country’s position as the third biggest EV market worldwide three quarters into the year. It followed only China and the US. It led Europe’s EV efforts, ahead of other major new-car markets such as the UK and France.
Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) have helped push the EV market forward in 2025, but for different reasons.
BEVs experienced a 37.8% rise in volumes across the first nine months of the year. This means 104,081 more all-electric models took to German roads compared to the same period of 2024.
While PHEVs recorded lower volume improvements compared to 2024, their relative growth was significantly higher. The powertrain’s sales soared by 64.1% to 216,962 units from January to September.
Demand has picked up pace throughout the year, with an 86.3% improvement in September alone. EV Volumes does include extended-range electric vehicles in its plug-in hybrid figures.
Looking ahead, Germany’s EV market is forecasted to grow by 16.7% in 2026. Plug-in models are expected to take a 33% share of the overall new-car market, with BEVs alone capturing 22.1%.
Will incentives impact EVs?
Germany’s new purchase incentives may help achieve this growth. Coming into effect in 2026, this will be the first time since December 2023 that these subsidies have been available. However, little is currently known about the details of these subsidies.
The country also recently presented a first draft of the Masterplan Ladeinfrastruktur 2030. The document outlines the German government’s strategy to coordinate and accelerate the deployment of publicly accessible EV charging infrastructure.
The plan’s 41 measures look to boost demand and investment, simplify and accelerate implementation, as well as increase price transparency. Improving electricity grid integration and enhancing user-friendliness are also covered.
VW’s EV dominance
Volkswagen (VW) dominated Germany’s EV market during the first nine months of 2025, with 113,607 units delivered to customers. This was nearly double the total of its nearest competitor and represented an improvement of 134.9% year on year.
The brand took a controlling 19% share of its domestic EV market, up 7.1 percentage points (pp) year on year. The VW brand also sold the largest volume of EVs in the third quarter alone, recording a 121% increase to 37,605 deliveries.
The best-selling BEV and PHEV models nine months in 2025 both hailed from the carmaker. The VW ID.7 sat atop the all-electric table, with 25,101 sales and a 6.6% market share. It also made up 22.1% of VW’s overall EV volumes.
Its sibling, the ID.3, was just 2,227 units behind. However, the hatchback chipped away at the ID.7’s lead after topping September’s monthly standings. It managed a 146.6% year-on-year increase to 2,979 deliveries. The ID.4 placed fifth in the January to September BEV chart, thanks to 16,031 units.
Meanwhile, VW’s Tiguan captured 5.5% of the PHEV market from January to September, holding first place with 11,848 sales.
The VW Passat took fourth in the PHEV table, posting 9,302 deliveries. While not in the top 10 in the first three quarters, the VW Tayron has been ramping up volumes. It captured sixth in the September monthly results with 1,052 units.
Solid EV growth for BMW
BMW sold 61,023 new EVs in Germany from January to September, an uptick of 32.5% year on year. Despite double-digit growth, its share slipped by 1.1pp to 10.2%. Its performance in the third quarter was nearly identical to its result across the first nine months of the year, as it sat second with 22,461 units.
Its best-selling EV model was the iX1, accounting for 20.5% of the carmaker’s total. After nine months of 2025, the BEV placed seventh in the standings with 12,489 sales. BMW’s i4 also enjoyed demand, as the all-electric sedan achieved 8,043 deliveries from January to September.
Elsewhere, the BMW 5-Series sat sixth in the PHEV table after nine months into 2025, with 7,491 units. Yet, it could only manage ninth in September’s monthly chart. It was outperformed by the BMW X3, which came fourth with 1,176 deliveries.
Mercedes-Benz loses ground
Unlike the first two brands in the table, Mercedes-Benz has seen its EV volumes stagnate so far in 2025. Its 55,795-unit total after nine months of the year represents a 0.5% decline.
However, looking at the manufacturer’s third-quarter results alone, things seem more positive. Mercedes-Benz delivered 19,798 new EVs to customers from July to September, equating to a 7.4% growth year on year.
The carmaker accounted for 9.4% of overall EV sales in the three months. This contrasted with the same period one year ago, when it led Germany’s plug-in market with a 13.7% share.
Spearheading the brand’s electric efforts between January and September was the E-Class. It sat in third in the PHEV table with 9,393 sales after nine months. The GLC also appeared in the standings in eighth, recording 7,115 deliveries. The duo made up 29.6% of the brand’s overall EV volumes.
Although not featured in the top 10, the EQA BEV also recorded strong sales across the first nine months of 2025. It accounted for 13.1% of Mercedes-Benz’s total plug-in figure, thanks to 7,283 sales.
Cupra claws up the table
Charging behind Mercedes-Benz was VW Group brand, Cupra. The marque achieved a 133% year-on-year growth in EV sales after three quarters of 2025, with 45,379 units. This translated to a 7.6% share, up from 4.8%.
However, its improvement was less pronounced from July to September. The brand recorded an 86.1% rise in plug-in sales, placing it sixth in the quarterly chart.
Of its five EV models available in Germany, four featured in either the BEV or PHEV cumulative table. The Cupra Born led the way, as the all-electric hatchback recorded 14,859 deliveries after nine months of the year. It landed sixth in the BEV chart and accounted for almost a third of Cupra’s entire EV total.
The BEV also took sixth in September’s monthly chart, as it was joined by the Tavascan. The SUV placed seventh, with 1,296 units, equating to a 251.2% growth year on year. This was the best improvement of any model in September’s all-electric top 10.
Meanwhile, the Formentor held up well against its PHEV competitors. It sat in fifth after three quarters of 2025, posting 7,669 sales. It was joined by the Cupra Leon in seventh and the Cupra Terramar in 10th, with 7,330 and 6,709 units, respectively.
Skoda’s 2025 EV success
Another VW Group brand to make the EV top 10 across the first three quarters was Skoda. It placed fifth, just 224 units behind Cupra. The brand recorded the best year-on-year growth of any carmaker in the top 10, with volumes surging by 147.7% to 45,155 units. This meant its share jumped from 4.5% to 7.6%.
Skoda’s growth in the third quarter was slightly slower, at 90.6%. Yet, it achieved the fourth-best EV volume between July and September, just 142 units ahead of Audi.
Skoda’s success so far in 2025 can mostly be attributed to its Enyaq and Elroq SUVs. The two represented 76.5% of the carmaker’s total between January and September.
They also captured third and fourth, respectively, in the BEV standings between January and September. While the Enyaq had a higher total of 18,485 sales, its younger sibling posted stronger results in recent months. The Elroq took third in September’s monthly chart, with 2,565 deliveries, while the Enyaq finished fifth.
Can Audi catch up?
Audi sat in sixth in the cumulative EV table, 2,999 units behind its nearest competitor. The domestic marque’s growth has not been as strong as the two other VW Group-owned brands ahead of it.
However, its market share still increased by 0.3pp to 7.1%, as its deliveries rose 52.7% to 42,156 units. Audi also performed well in the third quarter, taking fifth thanks to a 90.1% uptick in demand.
Its two highest volume EV models rounded out the BEV chart after nine months. This was the Q4 e-tron in ninth with 9,214 sales, and the Q6 e-tron in 10th with 9,166 sales. The two SUVs accounted for 43.6% of the carmaker’s total plug-in volumes.
Volvo’s strong PHEV contender
The seventh most popular EV brand after nine months of 2025 was Volvo. Volumes dropped 5.6% to 26,270 units, as its share consequently fell by 2.4pp to 4.4%. The third quarter was similar, with Volvo enduring an even steeper 14.2% loss in volumes to 7,956 units.
The manufacturer did see one silver lining, however. Its XC60 was second in the PHEV chart after the first three quarters of 2025. The crossover recorded 9,949 sales in this period, trailing the VW Tiguan by just 1,899 units. The XC60 was responsible for 37.9% of Volvo’s EV volumes.
Solid EV growth for Hyundai
Hyundai posted 24,193 EV sales between January and September, putting it eighth in the EV standings. The growth meant its share ticked up by 0.1pp to 4.1%. Its delivery pace slowed marginally in the third quarter, with a 45.4% improvement to 8,745 units.
The brand did not feature any models in the BEV or PHEV cumulative table after three quarters of the year. Instead, its volumes were spread relatively evenly across its EV range. The Inster BEV topped the pack, with 8,052 sales.
Behind, Ford managed a 104.6% improvement in EV volumes across the first three quarters of 2025. This equated to 23,638 new models sold and a 1.2pp rise in share to 4%. Apart from VW, it was Germany’s fastest-growing EV brand in the third quarter alone, with sales surging by 114.8%.
The Ford Kuga placed ninth in the PHEV standings after nine months. Its 6,817-unit total represented 28.8% of the carmaker’s EV total.
Yet, it was not Ford’s best-selling plug-in. That title was taken by the Explorer BEV, which posted 7,608 sales from January to September. This gave it a 32.2% share of Ford’s plug-in figure.
Tesla was 10th in the EV standings between January and September, with 14,843 units. The brand has struggled in Germany in 2025 so far, with a 50.3% slump in EV volumes. This caused its share to plummet from 7.3% to 2.5%. However, taking figures from July to September, its sales saw a less severe drop of 30.7%.
The Model Y led the European and global EV markets after three quarters of 2025, as well as placing strongly in China. However, it did not experience the same success in Germany. Even with a fourth-place finish in September’s monthly BEV table, the crossover placed eighth in the cumulative chart.
