Germany's car buyers just blinked, and the used market is wide awake
Simon-Kucher's 2025 study finds 65% of Germans still plan to buy a new car — but the budget is shrinking and used cars are quietly winning back the spotlight.
Germans haven’t given up on buying a new car. They’re just reaching for the calculator before the keys. According to a Simon-Kucher study, 65% of respondents in Germany plan to buy a new or demo vehicle — six percentage points lower than a year ago.
The average planned budget is €44,000. Yet 54% want to keep their current car longer, and 48% expect their purchasing power to drop. Simon-Kucher’s verdict is blunt: German buyers are still willing to sign, but convincing them is getting harder by the month.
The number-one factor hasn’t changed — it’s price. And its weight is only growing. Nearly half of those surveyed want simpler, more transparent offers, because that’s how you compare trims and actually see what you’re paying for. There’s a flip side, though: 52% are afraid that important options will quietly disappear along with the trim simplification.
Against this backdrop, used cars are quietly stealing the show. 35% of German buyers already plan to look at a pre-owned vehicle next time. And if new-car prices keep climbing or discounts dry up, 61% are ready to jump to a recent used model.
EVs, meanwhile, are stuck in place. Interest is noticeably higher among younger buyers, but the key fears barely shift: 59% complain about long charging, 55% about high prices, 51% about range, and 47% don’t trust the charging infrastructure. All this despite the fact that modern EVs go visibly farther and charge visibly faster.
And then there are the Chinese brands. Their strengths are obvious to Germans — 62% point to price, 42% to technology. But reliability, build quality and safety remain open questions. The takeaway is brutal: in Europe, a low sticker is no longer a free pass for Chinese marques. Buyers want proof that service and longevity will match the established names.