DUSSELDORF: Despite a strong push from environmental activists for zero-emissions vehicles, petrol-engined cars in Germany are once again enjoying increasing popularity, a survey published on Sunday showed.
In a Forsa survey of motorists commissioned by Targobank, 30% of respondents said they would prefer to buy a petrol-engined car if they were in the market for a new vehicle.
A year earlier, this figure was 22%.
At the same time, the popularity of hybrid cars declined to 15% from 18% and interest in buying purely electric vehicles also declined slightly to 16% from 17%.
The environmentally-friendly image of electric vehicles has been steadily declining since 2016, the survey showed.
Only 39% of respondents now consider electric cars to be more environmentally friendly than cars with combustion engines, down from 44% in 2022.
According to the survey, reservations about e-cars are partly based on sustainability: 57% criticise the environmental damage associated with batteries, 49% their limited lifetime, 63% cite the lack of charging stations and 66% the short range as arguments against buying an electric car.
For 64%, the purchase price is an argument against an electric car.
Interest in buying a diesel car has been declining since 2019 and now stands at 10% of respondents. A fuel cell car would be preferred by 6%. The rest are undecided.
Forsa surveyed more than 1,000 German-speaking Internet users aged 18 and older who drive a car and are involved in auto purchasing decisions.
