New cars in Germany emitted more carbon dioxide in 2023, according to data from the KBA regulator, revealing the impact of the removal of incentives for purchasing electric vehicles.
The average new car emitted 115 grams of carbon dioxide last year, nearly five percent more than in 2022, calculated the KBA.
The average CO2 emissions per vehicle rose particularly sharply in December, by almost 40 percent, which could be linked to a surge in purchases at the end of 2022 due to the government’s announcement of reducing incentives at the beginning of 2023.
In December 2023, the government abruptly abolished incentives as it was forced to reduce public spending following a court ruling on the unconstitutional repurposing of funds for pandemic relief. Under such conditions, the share of newly registered electric vehicles sharply decreased by the end of 2023.
Throughout 2023, a total of just over 524,000 new electric cars were registered, an increase of 11.4 percent compared to 2022. The share of battery vehicles was 18.4 percent, up by 0.6 percentage points compared to 2022, according to KBA data.
