Germany's car world: clean leaders and dirty laggards!

Germany's car world: clean leaders and dirty laggards!

What's new in the world of vehicles? A current look at the vehicle population in Germany shows that the proportion of cars with outdated emissions standards (Euro 1 to Euro 4) varies greatly. This information is provided by an evaluation by the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), which states that an impressive 33.7% of the cars in Lüchow-Dannenberg meet these old standards. But the likelihood of seeing such a “dirty plane” varies greatly depending on the region.

In the Elbe-Elster district the proportion is 31.7%, while Duisburg city is also not far behind with 30.7%. In contrast, there is Wolfsburg, where the proportion of vehicles with old emissions standards is only 10.9%. This probably has to do with the high number of new private registrations and company cars in this city, the headquarters of a large automobile manufacturer. Statistically, there are 973 cars per 1,000 residents there - a number that speaks for itself.

Clean driving fun in Wolfsburg

Another reason for the clean statistics in Wolfsburg is the high proportion of electric cars and vehicles that meet the Euro 6 emissions standard, which is an impressive 77.2%. Wolfsburg is followed by Wiesbaden with 70.6% and the city of Munich with 64.8%. If you look at buyers in affluent areas, it's clear that they tend to have more new, cleaner cars in the garage - it's just more fun to sit in a clean car.

What is it like in the rest of the country? The new registrations of passenger cars show that an impressive 81.6% of a total of 239,297 newly registered cars met the Euro 6 emissions standard in May 2025. In comparison, the number of new registrations for diesel and gasoline continues to fall. The new figures show: 67,921 new petrol engines represent a decrease of 24.1% compared to the previous year, while the same applies to diesel with 35,106 new registrations (-21.8%).

Emissions in the transport sector

But despite these positive developments, the transport sector has so far hardly paid back what was hoped for the environment. Greenhouse gas emissions are expected to be reduced by 65% ​​compared to 1990 by 2030, but in 2023 transport already accounted for 22% of total emissions. This is an increase from 13% in 1990. Citizens particularly in metropolitan areas suffer from high levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution.

Interestingly, it can be seen that the specific emissions of cars per kilometer have been reduced as engine technology has improved and emissions regulations have become stricter. The lower kilometer-related CO2 emissions also contribute to this, although the absolute CO2 emissions from car traffic increased due to increasing mileage and larger vehicles.

In summary, it can be seen that while on the one hand we in Germany rely on clean cars, there is a lot of work ahead of us to sustainably reduce emissions from the transport sector. The statistics are a clear call to rethink our mobility and make it more environmentally friendly. Let’s see what the future holds and whether we can get a little closer to the goal of climate neutrality in 2045.

For more information on vehicle statistics and environmental aspects, interested readers can visit the website of Motor vehicle operation, KBA and Federal Environment Agency stop by.