According to experts, the low variety of electric cars is slowing down their use in company fleets, which are still dominated by combustion engines. Last year alone, almost half of all pure electric cars in Germany were sold to commercial customers, said Felix Kuhnert, an expert on the car market at the management consultancy PwC Strategy&. "Fleets and vehicle fleets are thus essential levers for the German mobility turnaround and a fundamental market for domestic carmakers." It is therefore important that manufacturers serve this market with attractive models. "At the moment, however, we are still seeing enormous gaps in the range of station wagons that can be used just as well at work as they are on family vacations."

Across Germany, 13 percent of all registered company cars were fully electric cars in March, according to a study by the consultancy. After all, that was almost twice as much as in mid-2021. However, according to data from the Federal Motor Transport Authority, the proportion of private buyers was higher in March at a good fifth, and private car buyers are also more likely to use electric cars so far this year. At 55 percent, internal combustion engines still accounted for the lion's share of fleet registrations.

According to Kuhnert, there is still no suitable electric replacement for gasoline and diesel station wagons. If the political and economic conditions were right, however, the share of fleet cars could reach 21 percent in the coming year, and even around a third with state subsidies and requirements for green fleets. However, according to the current status, the subsidy for electric cars via the environmental bonus for company cars will expire at the beginning of September.

In Germany, the market for company cars is more important for car manufacturers than the private market. Almost two-thirds (64.1 percent) of the new passenger cars registered last year were registered to commercial owners.