Between January and July 2026, Germany exported approximately 2.0 million new cars, valued at 73.5 billion euros. According to data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Monday, compared to the same period last year, the volume of new vehicle exports decreased by 4.0%, and the value of these exports fell by 8.9%.
The three main destinations for German passenger cars during the first seven months of 2026 were the United Kingdom, the USA, and Italy. These three countries accounted for 32.7% of all new cars exported. Specifically, around 258,000 vehicles (13.0%) went to the United Kingdom, 245,000 cars (12.3%) were shipped to the USA, and 147,000 went to Italy (7.4%).
In terms of powertrain types, vehicles powered by internal combustion engines (ICE) remained the most common, making up 52.7% of German new car exports. This was followed by electric vehicles (28.1%) and hybrid vehicles (19.2%). These proportions were largely consistent with the previous year. While ICE vehicle exports reached 1 million units-a decrease of 2.9%-both electric and hybrid vehicle exports also saw a slight decline: electric car exports fell by 2.9% to 560,000 units, and hybrid exports dropped by 8.2% to 380,000 units compared to the previous year.
In the United States market alone, 245,000 cars were exported, valued at 9.6 billion euros. This represented a decrease of 2.6% in volume and 17.1% in value compared to the previous year. The bulk of exports to the US consisted of ICE vehicles, at 198,000 units (80.8%). Electric cars made up 10.0% (25,000 vehicles), and hybrid vehicles accounted for 9.2% (23,000 vehicles). Notably, ICE car exports to the US increased by 31.7% year-on-year, while the exports of hybrid cars dropped sharply by 50.3%, and electric car exports decreased by 56.1%.
Meanwhile, Germany imported around 1.3 million new cars during the same period, valued at 34.9 billion euros. Compared to the first seven months of 2025, these imports rose by 16.0% in volume and 12.6% in value. Again, ICE engines were the most common type imported, with 43.7% or 554,000 units. This was closely followed by hybrid models (31.8% or 403,000 units) and pure electric vehicles (24.4% or 309,000 units). While ICE vehicle imports declined by 9.0% year-over-year, hybrid imports jumped by 36.0%, and pure electric vehicle imports surged by 66.3%.
Regarding the origin of these imported vehicles, China was the leading supplier, accounting for 13.8% of the total imports (175,000 cars). This was followed by the Czech Republic (13.7%, 173,000 cars) and Spain (12.4%, 157,000 cars). Driven by a sharp increase in imports from China (up 120.9%), the country climbed from fourth place last year to the number one supplier of new cars. Imports from the Czech Republic also rose significantly by 22.9%, while imports from Spain saw a slight decrease of 0.4%.
Imports from the United States stood at 59,000 new cars (4.7% of all new car imports). This figure represents a 5.1% drop compared to the previous year, causing the United States to fall from fifth to sixth place among key suppliers of new passenger vehicles.
