Lower Saxony: dirty and clean cars in a large comparison!

Lower Saxony: dirty and clean cars in a large comparison!

In Lower Saxony, there are striking differences in the vehicle fleet, as a current study by the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) reveals. Both the cleanest and the dirtyest cars are on the move in the state. The great variance in the exhaust gas standards is particularly striking: while in Wendland, especially in the Lüchow-Dannenberg district, the proportion of vehicles with old exhaust gas standards (Euro 1 to Euro 4) is 33.7 percent, it is only 10.9 percent in Wolfsburg, which makes the city a flagship region in terms of new exhaust gas standards.

These differences are not only shown in the number of old vehicles, but also in the type of new registrations. According to the statistics, the trend in Lower Saxony continues. In May 2025, a total of 239,297 cars were re -registered, of which 67,921 on petrol vehicles and 35.106 on diesel were eliminated. In contrast, hybrid models with 92,171 new registrations are enjoying growing popularity and electric cars with 43,060 new registrations have a considerable increase of 44.9 percent compared to the previous year.

Volkswagen as an innovation engine

The city of Wolfsburg is a prime example of the success of new drive technologies. Here the after -effects of the automotive industry have significant effects on the vehicle selection of the population. The Volkswagen company offers special conditions for employees when buying a new car, which means that the modern vehicle fleet is growing steadily. Statistically speaking, 973 cars per 1,000 inhabitants drive in Wolfsburg, a sign of the high demand for new and environmentally friendly vehicles.

In the area around Braunschweig, the values ​​are also remarkable: here the proportion of new exhaust gas standards is 21 percent. In addition, Wolfsburg not only leads to the number of contemporary cars, but also for electric cars, where 77.2 percent of new registrations meet the Euro 6 standard. This shows how important modern drive technologies for Lower Saxony and the steering of the purchase decisions are.

emissions in focus

But the challenges are great. Germany has set itself the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 65 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 and is aiming for climate neutrality by 2045. The traffic sector plays a key role in this, since its share of the total emissions of 13 percent in 1990 rose to 22 percent in 2023. In 2023, traffic caused 37 percent of nitrogen oxide emissions and 17 percent of fine dust emissions, which not only affects air quality in cities, but also complicates the effort to reduce emissions.

The analysis also shows that despite the declining mileage-related CO2 emissions due to improved engine technologies, the absolute emissions of car traffic have increased by 2019 due to enlarged vehicles and increasing performance as a whole. In recent years it has been shown that daily traffic and increasing the mileage continue to be a challenge that must be mastered.