Saxony is the state with the lowest car density relative to its area

In Saxony, there is one registered car for roughly every other resident—making Saxony the state with the lowest car density in Germany. As of January 1, there were approximately 544 passenger cars registered per 1,000 residents in the Free State, according to the Regional Atlas of Germany.

Compared to the previous year, this represented an increase of 0.3 percent, or two cars, as reported by the State Statistical Office. However, Saxony is well below the German average of 593 passenger cars per 1,000 residents. Only the city-states of Berlin (330), Bremen (427), and Hamburg (432) have fewer cars relative to their populations. 

Eastern German States Below Average

As before, the highest car density was in Saarland. There, on average, about one car is registered for every two out of three residents (649 per 1,000 residents). The other eastern German states also fell below the national average. Following Saxony in this regard are Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (566), Thuringia (572), Saxony-Anhalt (577), and Brandenburg (588).

Within Saxony, Leipzig recorded the lowest car density at 380 cars per 1,000 residents—the second-lowest in Germany after Berlin. The Erzgebirgskreis district has the highest proportion of passenger cars, with 644 per 1,000 residents. This reflects a nationwide trend in Germany: In metropolitan areas, it is easier to do without a car thanks to well-developed public transportation systems.

At the start of the year, 2,188,519 cars were registered in Saxony. That was about 2,000 more than in 2025.

New Records for Registered Cars and Car Density

Across Germany, the number of registered cars has reached a new high. The number rose by about 150,000 within a year to 49.5 million vehicles. According to calculations by the Federal Statistical Office, this also resulted in an increase in vehicle density of three cars to 593 per 1,000 residents—also a record high. 

Vehicle density increased in all non-city states. Statisticians recorded the opposite trend exclusively in the city-states: In Berlin and Bremen, the number of cars per resident declined, while it remained flat in Hamburg.