New registrations in May 2025: SUV glut and electric rally

A slight spring feeling: With 239,297 new passenger car registrations, the car market grew by 1.2 percent in May 2025. German brands were the main contributors to this growth. Only Audi, Opel, and Porsche recorded declines (see table below). VW, unsurprisingly, remains the clear market leader. However, the Wolfsburg-based company actually achieved noticeable growth in May. Among the imported brands, Skoda, Toyota, and Hyundai saw particularly strong growth.

SUVs represented the strongest segment, with a 33.6 percent share, growing by 16.3 percent. The compact class followed with a 16.6 percent market share, despite a decline of 17.6 percent. Small cars (11.0%, +1.3%) and SUVs (10.1%, -2.9%) also achieved double-digit shares. The upper mid-size class saw particularly strong growth, rising by 84.0 percent. Further increases were recorded in utilities (+13.3%), large vans (+2.6%), and motorhomes (+0.6%). Other segments declined: minivans (-37.7%), sports cars (-24.8%), minis (-23.8%), the full-size class (-21.7%), and the mid-size class (-18.5%) are showing strong signs of decline in all segments due to the glut of SUVs.

In terms of drivetrains, the focus in Germany is on electric vehicles, even if only in the form of a mild hybrid model. Only 28.4 percent of all new cars were delivered with gasoline engines (down 24%), while 14.7 percent (down 21.8%) had a diesel engine under the hood. In contrast, hybrid drivetrains (including the aforementioned mild hybrids with starter generators and similar technology) increased by 29 percent, with 92,171 new hybrid vehicles hitting the road in May. Another 25,181 plug-in hybrids with external charging options were added to this figure.

However, the share of electric cars increased particularly sharply. Battery-electric cars increased by a substantial 45 percent compared to May 2024, with 43,060 new registrations in this category. A major attack by Chinese brands has long been expected in this segment, and it is gradually gaining momentum. The 1,450 percent growth recorded by the Federal Motor Transport Authority for the still largely unknown XPeng brand is particularly spectacular; however, in absolute terms, with 185 new registrations, it will still take some time to achieve market leadership.

However, BYD is likely to pose a more serious challenge to the established brands. With 1,857 new registrations in May (+824%), BYD is already within striking distance of several other import brands and is also poised to overtake MG, the most successful Chinese manufacturer in Germany to date. BYD has already overtaken Tesla: The electric car pioneer only had 1,210 new registrations in Germany in May, a decline of 36 percent. Here, the company is still awaiting a boost from the revised Model Y Juniper, with deliveries of the high-volume variants scheduled to begin in June.

In the picture gallery we have listed all brands with their May registrations.