Germans drive over 15 kilometres daily, car use down after pandemic

People in Germany on average travel 15.5 kilometres by car every day, according to a review of 2023 data by the country’s statistical office (Destatis). Although private passenger vehicles remain the most important means of transportation, car use in the country has permanently dropped nearly 12 percent after the COVID-19 pandemic, Destatis found. The statisticians counted over 472 billion kilometres travelled by car by non-commercial users, including commuting, shopping trips, holiday travel, and other private activities.

This was slightly more than the approximately 467 billion kilometres travelled by car in 2022, the last year during which pandemic response measures curbed individual mobility. However, it was much less than the 535 billion kilometres travelled in 2019, the year before the coronavirus brought about worldwide lockdowns and travel restrictions.

Including other motorised vehicles, such as scooters or vans, the total distance travelled by private users increased to nearly 497 billion kilometres in 2023. By contrast, the total distance travelled by commercial users was 188 billion kilometres, meaning private car use exceeded commercial use by a factor of two and a half, Destatis added. The figure also remained below that of the pre-pandemic year of 2019, when businesses travelled approximately 201 billion kilometres by motorised vehicle.

In August, Destatis found that car density across Germany had increased further in early 2025 to 590 cars for 1,000 citizens, up from 588 in early 2024. This trend has persisted since 2008, the statistical office added. With a total of 49.3 million cars registered nationwide, Germany reached a new record level in January 2025. Of these, 1.65 million (3.3%) were fully electric vehicles, according to Destatis. At the same time, the proportion of EVs in new registrations climbed to the new record level of 17.7 percent in the first half of 2025.

Germany is under pressure to decarbonise its transport sector, which for years has been a laggard in national emissions reduction efforts. While the switch to EVs is seen as a key lever for reducing the sector's greenhouse gas footprint, weaning people off using cars and increasing the use of public transport, bicycles, and walking has been called for by climate activists and urban planners alike.