VDA E-Charging Network Ranking: Ratio of public charging points to EVs stagnating, highlighting ongoing need for action to expand public charging infrastructure

The current ratio of public charging points to EVs* in Germany remains virtually unchanged compared to the previous year. Both the number of electric vehicle registrations and the availability of public charging points have increased across all federal states. However, significant disparities persist between the federal states and individual municipalities, highlighting the ongoing need for further expansion of charging infrastructure in Germany. These are among the key findings of an analysis published today by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), known as the VDA E-Charging Network Ranking**.

As of July 1, 2026, there are 211,025 publicly accessible charging points in Germany—including 55,011 fast charging points*** (source: Federal Network Agency)—alongside 3,591,910 electric passenger cars (BEVs and PHEVs, source: Federal Motor Transport Authority). Consequently, as of July 1, there is an average of 17.0 EVs for every publicly accessible charging point in Germany. This means the ratio of public charging points to electric cars in Germany remains virtually unchanged compared to the previous VDA electric charging network ranking (based on data from July 1, 2025), at which time there were 16.7 EVs per publicly accessible charging point.

Around 39,000 new charging points, around 715,000 new electric cars

As of the reference date for the new VDA E-Charging Network Ranking (July 1, 2026), the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) reports an increase of 38,875 public charging points compared to the previous VDA ranking (as of July 1, 2025). Of these, 14,234 are fast-charging points***. Fast-charging points allow for a significantly higher number of EVs to be charged within the same amount of time compared to standard charging points. With 14,234 fast-charging points added during the period under review, more than one out of every three new public charging points is a fast-charging point. Furthermore, the expansion has focused heavily on high-capacity fast-charging points—those with a capacity exceeding 149kW (high-performance charging points)—which have seen a marked increase in deployment. There are now 40,320 high-performance charging points across Germany; they account for the majority of all fast-charging points and represent approximately one-fifth (19 percent) of the total number of public charging points.

There was also a significant increase in the number of EVs: between July 1, 2025, and July 1, 2026, 714,859 newly registered EVs were added. As of July 1 of this year, there are 3,591,910 EVs in Germany. Electric vehicles now account for 7.2% of the total passenger car fleet in Germany.

The coverage of charging points has improved slightly compared to the previous VDA ranking; however, 30% of municipalities (with 500 or more inhabitants) still lack any publicly accessible charging points, and 61% still have no publicly accessible fast-charging points.

VDA President Hildegard Müller: "Our analysis of public charging infrastructure reveals both bright spots and shortcomings. Most encouraging is the significant increase in fast-charging options. The fact that people are increasingly able to fast-charge their EVs is good news for consumers and for e-mobility.

At the same time, there are still too many gaps on the map; many municipalities in Germany offer no public charging options whatsoever. Yet, a comprehensive and high-performance charging infrastructure is a key factor in the success of e-mobility. People need the confidence that they can charge their EVs easily and quickly, anytime and anywhere—and they are right to expect this. Thus greater ambition is required in expanding public charging infrastructure, especially given the significant rise in the number of EVs being registered."

Among other things, the development of sites for the so-called "Deutschlandnetz" (Germany Network)—comprising more than 1,000 fast-charging hubs along motorways as well as in urban and rural areas—must be pushed forward, according to the VDA president. "The Germany Network was actually supposed to be in place by the end of the year, but it is behind schedule due to legal disputes—which makes picking up the pace all the more important now. Outstanding legal issues must therefore be resolved immediately. The Germany Network must be completed as quickly as possible; there can be no further delays."

VDA President Hildegard Müller: "E-mobility requires sufficient grid capacity"

She also emphasizes the importance of faster planning and approval processes, as well as the expansion of the power grid. "Expanding the power grid is increasingly the crucial prerequisite for developing charging infrastructure. E-mobility—whether for passenger cars or commercial vehicles—brings new challenges, particularly for power grids. To ensure that the necessary capacity can actually be provided, the power grids must be expanded in an accelerated and forward-looking manner. High-performance energy networks must not become a bottleneck for the success of e-mobility. In this regard, policymakers, the Federal Network Agency, and the energy industry must act together and with determination."

Müller continued: "The German automotive industry will resolutely continue on its path toward climate-neutral and digital mobility. Through impressive innovations and substantial investments—both today and in the future—manufacturers and suppliers are contributing to the success of electromobility in markets worldwide. They are consistently expanding their product ranges, offering vehicles across all segments. In Germany alone, German manufacturers offer approximately 110 EV models. Furthermore, automotive companies are driving the expansion of charging infrastructure for both passenger and commercial EVs through numerous projects—in Germany and internationally. We will remain firmly committed to this course.”

Results of the VDA E-Charging Network Ranking

The VDA E-Charging Network Ranking is a statistical analysis based on official data from the Federal Motor Transport Authority and the Federal Network Agency. This data is incorporated into the analysis, which is divided into three areas:

The T-value (charging network ranking T-value | VDA – the term is linked to a list of all vehicle registration districts, including detailed data) indicates how many electric passenger cars share a single publicly accessible charging point. Heilbronn (Baden-Württemberg) has successfully defended its top position: it boasts the best ratio of electric passenger cars to public charging points in all of Germany, with 5.7 EVs per public charging point. Emden (Lower Saxony) once again ranks second, with 6.4 EVs per public charging point. In third place is the district of Vorpommern-Rügen (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), which also has 6.4 EVs per public charging point.

Hof has made the biggest leap. The city in northeastern Bavaria has nearly doubled its number of public charging points, climbing 195 places to reach rank 140.

Expansion stars from the far north and the deep west

Looking solely at absolute growth, the expansion of charging points in Hamburg stands out as particularly dynamic: between July 1, 2025, and July 1 of this year, the Hanseatic city added 2,165 public charging points—a higher number than anywhere else. In relative terms, the city of Duisburg saw the most significant expansion, with 43% more public charging points than in the previous year, corresponding to an increase of 463 charging points.

Charging infrastructure has expanded across all federal states

When examining the availability of charging infrastructure at federal state level, it becomes clear that the number of charging points has increased in every state compared to our previous assessment. In this latest analysis, all federal states show an increase of at least 17% (in Saxony) in the number of public charging points. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania saw the largest relative growth, with an increase of 36%.

Furthermore, our ranking shows that Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has the best ratio of electric passenger cars to public charging points, with 11.5 EVs for every public charging point. Berlin ranks second, and Thuringia third. It is worth noting that there are structural differences between the federal states. For instance, the number of electric passenger cars in the eastern German states remains relatively low. The list continues with Bremen, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Brandenburg, Baden-Württemberg, and Bavaria, where there are 16.7 EVs per public charging point.

The following states all have values below the national average of 17.0: Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland (in that order). Further details can be found in the data sheets, available for download at the end of this press release.

Fast charging: Berlin installs most new fast-charging points

The S-value (charging network ranking S-value | VDA – the term is linked to a list of all vehicle registration districts, including detailed data) indicates how many electric passenger cars—statistically speaking—share a single fast-charging point. Once again, the Saale-Orla-Kreis district (Thuringia) ranks first. It is followed by the district of Nordhausen (Thuringia) and the city of Zweibrücken (Rhineland-Palatinate). In terms of absolute growth, Berlin saw the largest increase in the number of fast-charging points (372).

Statistical analysis at federal state level shows that the national average for the S value is 65.3. In other words, there is an average of 65 EVs for every high-speed charging point in Germany. In the previous VDA electric charging network ranking, this figure was around 71—the aforementioned expansion of high-speed charging infrastructure is clearly reflected here as well.

The top three positions in terms of the S-value are held by Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Thuringia, and Saxony-Anhalt. It should be noted that there are structural differences between the federal states. For instance, the number of electric passenger cars is still relatively low in the eastern German states.

Data sheets for each of the 13 territorial states—highlighting the top performers in each—are available for download, alongside rankings comparing the states across all three metrics, complete with further detailed data.