Verkehrswende Radar: Vehicle traffic in Germany still below pre-pandemic levels – but just barely

14 October 2025. Car use in Germany remains below pre-pandemic levels, even though the number of vehicles on the roads went up slightly in the first half of 2025. Meanwhile, public transport use has grown significantly. Compared with 2019, total passenger-kilometres – the number of passengers times distance travelled – has increased by 19 per cent for city and regional trains and by nearly 13 per cent for long-distance trains. During the same period, passenger volumes on local bus and rail and on long-distance trains reached their pre-pandemic levels again for the first time. These are the findings of the most recent Verkehrswende-Radar (“Transport Transformation Radar”), a quarterly data-analysis report on the transformation of the transport sector published by Agora Verkehrswende. 

Despite the positive developments, the overall picture in Germany is still “sobering” says Dr. Wiebke Zimmer, Deputy Director of Agora Verkehrswende: “The only measure in the past few years to have a noticeable effect on people’s travel behaviour is the Deutschlandticket [Germany’s nationwide monthly subscription pass for local and regional public transport]. The effect of remote work on car use is hardly discernible. For a federal government with a serious commitment to society, the economy, and the climate, this is not enough. Through the climate action programme it is now preparing, the German government has an opportunity to define a strategy that makes the transport sector climate neutral by 2045.” 

Despite an increase in traffic volumes Agora Verkehrswende continues to see signs of a weaker personal car use compared to pre-pandemic levels. Relative to Q2 2019, car traffic today is down 0.5% on the Autobahn (Germany’s system of motorways) and down 2.3% on Bundesstraßen (trunk roads) – even as the number of cars in Germany continues to grow - up by 2.5 million (or 4.9 percent) from 2019, reaching 49.5 million vehicles. According to Agora Verkehrswende, one reason that cars are being driven less is the expanded range of options for working at home in the wake of the COVID pandemic. 

A particularly noteworthy statistic is the high number of passenger-kilometres logged on public transport, especially on regional and long-distance railways. The total is high not only when compared to 2019, but also when compared to today’s passenger volumes. This means that those who use public transport are on average taking longer trips than they did previously. Various studies suggest that the increase in passenger-kilometres is in large parts attributable to the introduction of the Deutschlandticket.

New statistics on bicycle traffic and BEVs

The current Verkehrswende-Radar is the first to include metrics on bicycle traffic in Germany. Since 2020, the number of cyclists on weekday commuting routes has fluctuated around pre-Corona levels, midway through 2025 it exceeded them by 3 per cent. The number of cyclists on recreational routes has been mostly up since the beginning of 2020, with variations (some significant) on account of the weather. For many, cycling is an important means of spending time outdoors, and this was especially true during the lockdown. Still, in the second quarter of 2025, the volume of recreational cyclists dipped below the 2019 baseline.

In a public statement about the data, Dr. Philine Gaffron, Senior Associate for Mobility and Health at Agora Verkehrswende, said: “The numbers do not indicate a sustained upward trend in cycling activity. Germany is far from reaching its 2017 goal of increasing bicycle travel by 50% until 2030 that is part of the National Cycling Strategy.” 

The current report also contains new statistics on battery-electric vehicles (BEVs). Evaluating list prices using market data from the German Automobile Club (ADAC), researchers found that price ranges have increased in all EV segments, as has the number of models in nearly all price classes. Agora Verkehrswende still sees plenty of room for a more varied BEV market, however, especially in the compact car segments.

About the Verkehrswende-Radar

The Verkehrswende-Radar is an information service from Agora Verkehrswende that provides key metrics for the development of the transport system. It provides data on traffic volumes, public transport demand, changes in the number of registered vehicles, developments in charging infrastructure, and BEV market offerings. The analysis provided in the report is based primarily on publicly accessible data from sources such as the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt), the Federal Statistical Office, the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), and the German Automobile Club (ADAC). In preparing the BASt data, Agora Verkehrswende works with the management consultancy KCW. Bicycle traffic data are provided by Eco-Counter GmbH, a company that develops solutions for counting pedestrians and cyclists. A steering group of experts advises Agora Verkehrswende on how to advance and further implement this data-tracking project. The Verkehrswende-Radar can be accessed in German online at:

https://www.agora-verkehrswende.de/veroeffentlichungen/verkehrswende-radar

About Agora Verkehrswende

Agora Verkehrswende is a Berlin-based think tank that seeks to promote climate-friendly mobility. Non-partisan and non-profit, it works together with key stakeholders in the fields of politics, business, academia, and civil society to decarbonise the transport system. To this end, the think-tank team develops evidence-based policy strategies and recommendations. Agora Verkehrswende was initiated in 2016 by Stiftung Mercator and the European Climate Foundation.