Berlin private car ownership drops to 275 per 1,000, lowest since 2008, as city grows

Declining car ownership

Berlin's private car stock stood at 1,074,696 at the end of 2025, roughly 24,000 fewer than the peak recorded in 2021. Over the same period, the city's population rose from around 3.78 million to 3.91 million residents. As a result, the car density fell from 291 to 275 vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants, the lowest figure since the survey began in 2008. The data comes from the Senate transport administration and was released in response to a parliamentary inquiry by Green MP Antje Kapek. It covers only passenger cars registered to natural persons, using the official population register.

Stark district divide

Inner-city districts have significantly lower car ownership than outlying areas. Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg records the fewest cars at 168 per 1,000, followed by Mitte at 179. At the other end, Steglitz-Zehlendorf posts 364 per 1,000, more than double the inner-city figure. Even in that outer district, car owners are still in the minority. Similar trends appear in other growing German cities, such as Hamburg.

Motorhomes surge

While private cars decline, motorhome registrations have boomed. The city counted 19,029 motorhomes in 2024, more than double the 8,011 registered in 2010. The increase underscores a shift toward leisure-oriented vehicle use even as everyday car ownership recedes.

Berlin in national context

Broader statistics from the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), which include company-registered cars and use a different population base, placed Berlin's car density at 331 per 1,000 in early 2024. That remains well below Hamburg (430), Cologne (459), Munich (505) and the German average of 582. New private car registrations in Berlin also hit a multi-decade low: only 59,523 were added in 2025, the fewest since 2001, compared with a peak of 93,381 in an earlier year.