For foreign carmakers, Germany must be the toughest market to conquer. Not only because domestic carmakers carry a reputation for high standards and sophisticated technology but also because the patriotic feelings of the population tend to favor the local brands.

That circle has been broken in the corporate garage for electric vehicles. Among employees, the Swedish-Chinese Polestar 2 is the most popular BEV in Germany.

The pop poll was published by leasing company LeasePlan, which lists Germany’s most popular company cars. The Polestar 2 comes in at a tenth place. But, more significantly, it’s the first fully electric car in the ranking, comprising all drivelines across different ownership and rental models. The mid-sized executive from Polestar is also the only battery vehicle entering the top ten.

From Passat to 2

Germany’s most popular company car is still the Volkswagen Passat Variant, followed by the Ford Focus Turnier and then the Ford Kuga securing bronze. With three models in the top ten (Superb Combi at four, Octavia Combi at five, and Kodiaq at eight), Volkswagen-owned Skoda is the most popular brand on the list.

Another peculiarity is that Polestar, co-owned by Volvo and Chinese parent Geely, is the only ranked brand with foreign roots. It’s also apparent that station wagons, or SUVs, strike an advantage. Here’s another merit for the 2: it’s the only and first sedan on the list.

Germans don’t go for the cheapest Polestar 2, either. The two-wheel driven version, which recently swapped from front- to rear-wheel drive, comes second. Most employees favor the all-wheel driven Long Range version, as Germany is a big country where winter can bring slippery road conditions.

Incentives needed

Christopher Schmidt, Commercial Director at LeasePlan Germany, believes that the ranking is too traditional and is in need of a greener representation: “In the future, we need to see stronger incentives for electric cars so that more and more corporate drivers switch to electric and we can make the entire top 10 list greener.”

The rivals coming after the Polestar are the Tesla Model 3 and the Model Y, both in their Long Range versions. Last year, Polestar hit its target of selling more than 50 000 units annually, beating analysts’ forecasts. For this year, the brand is gearing up for the commercial roll-out of the 3, its version of the Volvo EX90.

The Polestar 2 was facelifted at the beginning of this year, with an updated nose and bigger battery packs, resulting in more power and more range. As mentioned, the FWD has disappeared and was replaced by an RWD version. That must sound like even sweeter music in the ears of the German corporate driver…

Jump in BEV export

Meanwhile, the Statisches Bundesamt has released data on the German carmaker’s export of electric cars. While models with a combustion engine remained at status quo in a year-to-year comparison between 2022 and 2021 (1,5 million), battery-powered cars showed a significant jump.

From 300 000 units in 2021, the output for export last year soared to almost 500 000 (+65%). Germany’s most important export market is the United Kingdom, accounting for 14,0%, followed by the United States at 13,1%.