Germany has more and more cars. As the number of new registrations grows faster than the population, at the beginning of the year on There were 580 cars per 1,000 inhabitants – the Federal Statistical Office reported on Wednesday (8/10). This is two more than in 2023 and even 37 vehicles more than in 2014. A record, i.e. 583 cars per 1,000 inhabitants, fell in 2022.
Interestingly, there are currently 49.1 million cars registered in Germany, but they are driven less than in previous years. According to the Federal Motor Transport Office, in 2023 German cars traveled approximately 591 billion km. However, this was the fifth consecutive year with a decline in the number of kilometers traveled. In 2018, it was 39 billion km more. Last year, a German car drove an average of 12,320 km, 150 km less than in 2022 and 1,791 km less than in 2014.
Cars last longer these days
Despite everything, Germany has not yet achieved a record in car ownership, predicts industry expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer. Growth has slowed down, but there is still growth potential, also through comparison of the situation in Germany with the USA, where there are 800 registered cars per 1,000 inhabitants. There are also much more cars in European countries such as Poland and Italy than in Germany. In turn, new technologies such as autonomous driving or electric drives will make cars more comfortable and attractive to customers.
The development of the automotive industry has also contributed to a steady increase in the number of cars in Germany, because vehicles are simply functional longer than they were a few decades ago. The average age of a car registered in Germany is currently 10.3 years. In the 1980s, such a car was already rusting.
“New roads are important”
Expert Stefan Bratzel from the Automotive Management Center in Bergisch Gladbach believes that the growing number of cars in Germany is a long-term trend. He also compares the situation in Germany to that in the US: “People can simply afford more cars as their prosperity increases.”
However, unlike, for example, Los Angeles, in German metropolises there is no point in using a car for every trip. Dudenhöffer is also in favor of developing strong public transport in cities. But private cars should not be forgotten, according to him: “New roads are also important, like new tracks or railway stations,” he adds.
It reminds us that the further we go from city centers, the more important cars are for residents.
The difference between east and west
Data from the Federal Statistical Office show clear regional differences in transport in Germany. In cities that are also federal states, the number of registered cars per 100 inhabitants is relatively small: in Berlin it is 329, in Hamburg – 426, and in Bremen – 435. Public transport is well developed there, bicycles traffic is growing and not everyone needs or wants to have a car. Berlin is the only state where car density has been decreasing since 2014.
In other Länder it is much higher: Saarland has 655 cars per 1,000 inhabitants, Rhineland-Palatinate – 630, and Bavaria – 623. Saxony (534 cars per 100 inhabitants) has the lowest rate, and all Länder of the former GDR are below average federal, while all western ones – above. (DPA/mar)
The article comes from the website Deutsche Welle