Car remains by far the most important means of transport for Germans – survey

Cars remain the main mode of transport for most people in Germany, according to a survey by TÜV Association, the umbrella body for technical certifier organisations. More than four in five respondents (83%) said they had used a car every day or at least once a week over the past year, compared with 63 percent for walking, and 20 percent each for public transport and cycling. 

Germany is known as a car-centric country, with iconic carmakers and suppliers providing hundreds of thousands of jobs, a motorway network with many stretches free of speed limits, and cars generally having a high cultural significance. Because most of Germany’s car stock still runs on combustion engines, the sector contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. Transport is responsible for about one-fifth of the country’s emissions, most of it from road traffic, and dominated by passenger cars. 

In the survey, most respondents said they would prefer a combustion engine (35%) or hybrid engine model (25%) when buying a new car. Only a quarter (25%) said they would generally prefer a battery electric vehicle (EVs). 

Even so, the TÜV Association said EVs are “on the verge of a breakthrough” in Germany, pointing to current car registration data. “A wide range of electric cars, new government incentives and, not least, high fuel prices have prompted many car buyers to reconsider their options,” managing director Joachim Bühler said. 

Germans still have reservations about EVs, however. The main concern is the high purchase price, cited by 57 percent of respondents, followed by insufficient range (52%) and too few charging points (50%).

A recent survey by the National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech) found that more than three-quarters of Germans say they cannot do without a car, and more than half use one every day.