Dataforce Analysis: Electric Vehicles Increase in Fleets, Private Buyers Prefer Gasoline

In March 2023, the German passenger car market continued to recover, according to the latest analysis by the analytics agency Dataforce. New registrations climbed by 16.6 percent compared to March 2022. However, new registrations have not yet reached the pre-Corona demand, according to the analysts. To reach the average of the years 2015-2019, the market would need to grow by another 21 percent. However, the recovery has been barely noticeable among private customers so far. Their new registrations grew by a meager 2.1 percent in March.

The "Relevant Fleet Market" is racing to new records

The situation is significantly better for company cars. Due to their high mileage of an average of around 30,000 km per year, they need to be replaced regularly, according to the analysts. Due to the supply chain issues of recent years, a lot of demand has built up. Thus, the Relevant Fleet Market, with growth of 23.8 percent, has significantly outperformed the overall market. Furthermore, with 96,022 new registrations, it is the second-highest monthly figure, after December 2022, in Dataforce's records, which go back to 2001. Additionally, the fleet market was the most important sales channel, even ahead of the private market, in all three months of the year so far.

Slow normalization in tactical registrations

Self-registrations by manufacturers (+22.5%), dealerships (+20.8%), and rental car companies (+43.7%) also increased significantly in March. However, the high percentage increases are primarily due to the low comparative values. Compared to the average of the years 2015-2019, 33 percent fewer passenger cars are reaching the market through these special influences. Currently, only a few car buyers can find bargains with heavily discounted one-day registrations.