According to a survey, petrol engines are enjoying increasing popularity again. In a Forsa survey of drivers commissioned by Targobank, 30 percent of those surveyed stated that they would give priority to a car with a petrol engine when purchasing one. A year earlier, this figure was 22 percent.

At the same time, the popularity of hybrid cars is falling: 18 percent (minus 4 percentage points) can currently imagine choosing such a drive. The desire for purely electric vehicles also decreased: for 16 percent (minus 1 percentage point), a purely electric drive would be an option. The popularity of diesel powertrains has been declining since 2019 and is now at 10 percent of respondents. A fuel cell car would prefer 6 percent. The rest are undecided.

The survey also revealed that the environmentally friendly image of electric vehicles has been declining continuously since 2016. Only 39 percent of those surveyed now consider e-cars to be more environmentally friendly than cars with combustion engines (minus 5 percentage points compared to 2022). According to the “Autostudie”, concerns about e-cars are partly based on sustainability aspects: 57 percent complain about the environmental damage of the batteries, 49 percent about their limited service life. 63 percent cited the insufficiently developed network of charging stations as arguments against buying an e-car, and 66 percent cited the insufficient range. For 64 percent, the purchase price speaks against an electric car.