More German drivers prefer petrol-powered vehicle – survey

Admin l Sunday, March 26, 2023

BERLIN – Despite a strong push from environmental activists for zero-emissions vehicles, petrol-engined cars in Germany are once again enjoying increasing popularity, a survey published on Sunday showed.

In a Forsa survey of motorists commissioned by Targobank, 30% of respondents said they would prefer to buy a petrol-engined car if they were in the market for a new vehicle. A year earlier, this figure was 22%.

At the same time, the popularity of hybrid cars declined to 18% from 15% and interest in purchasing purely electric vehicles also declined slightly to 16% from 17%.

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The environmentally-friendly image of electric vehicles has been steadily declining since 2016, the survey showed. Only 39% of respondents now consider electric cars to be more environmentally friendly than cars with combustion engines, down from 44% in 2022.

According to the Auto Study, reservations about e-cars are partly based on sustainability: 57% criticize the environmental damage associated with batteries, 49% their limited lifetime, 63% cite the lack of charging stations and 66% the short range as arguments against buying an electric car. For 64%, the purchase price is an argument against an electric car.

Interest in buying a diesel car has been declining since 2019 and now stands at 10% of respondents. A fuel cell car would be preferred by 6%. The rest are undecided.

For the annual auto study from the Targobank, the opinion research institute Forsa surveyed more than 1,000 German-speaking internet users 18 and older who drive a car and are involved in auto purchasing decisions.