Owning your own car is the best way to get around in Germany, be it electric, diesel or petrol. Although there are now numerous alternatives, the car remains number 1. But is this first place really unshakable?
Two thirds of Germans would do without their own car if…
Germany is car country, a simple truth. Around 48.5 million cars were registered in Germany at the beginning of 2022, a new record (source: Statista). Many of these are privately owned, so it’s no wonder that Car is the first choice for many Germans is when you need to get from A to B.
It is much more surprising how many Germans can imagine turning their backs on their own cars. Good two thirds would do without their private car, if the alternatives are correct. This is one of the results of a representative survey presented by the Bitkom industry association at a press conference.
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40 percent of those surveyed stated that they would not need their own car if alternative mobility options were more reliable than before. For 32 percent, costs play an important role. For them, alternatives such as ride-sharing offers, but also public transport, would have to become even cheaper before they would give up their own car. On the other hand, for 36 percent of those surveyed, their own car remains the means of transport of choice under all circumstances; alternatives are out of the question for them.
A total of 96 percent stated that they had changed their mobility behavior in recent years. The main reasons for this are: climate crisis (55 percent) as well as the 9-euro ticket and rising petrol prices (41 percent each). The corona virus also influenced the mobility decisions of the 1,005 respondents.
Whether e-bike or gravel bike, you should heed these tips for tours in autumn:
Who actually needs a car? E-bikes are the big winner
One mode of transport in particular benefits from this development: the bicycle. 39 percent stated that they now use the bike more frequently, only 16 percent cycle less. Things are a bit different when it comes to cars: 22 percent drive their own car more often, while 36 percent leave the car at home more often.
The Bitkom study did not examine how the success of the bicycle is divided between classic bicycles and e-bikes. The strong However, the boom in electric bicycles suggests that they have a large share in the bicycle plus, said Bitkom Managing Director Bernhard Rohleder when we asked.