Heat pump sales rise in Germany in first half of 2026, mirroring EV uptick

Sales of heat pumps and electric vehicles in Germany have risen significantly in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2025. According to figures from the heat pump association (BWP) and the heating industry association (BDH), around 195,000 heat pumps were sold in Germany between January and June, a 40 percent increase. “This positive trend is primarily attributable to growing consumer awareness of the risks associated with heating using fossil fuels,” said BWP head Martin Sabel, who also attributed the success to national support schemes for energy-efficient buildings, which provide subsidies for heating system modernisations. Meanwhile, sales of purely battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were up nearly 50 percent in the first half of the year, according to data the country’s motor vehicle authority KBA published in July.Heating and transport are Germany’s laggard sectors when it comes to meeting emission reduction targets, with both heat pumps and electric vehicles central to their decarbonisation.Subsidies are also a key driver of EV growth in Germany, according to consultancy EY, n-tv reported. The government in January launched a programme offering up to 6,000 euros to lower-income households buying or leasing new e-cars. “If German and European car manufacturers are to remain competitive on the international stage in future, they must focus on affordable electric models,” Michael Müller-Görnert, transport policy spokesperson for the environmental transport association VCD, said. “Politicians, for their part, must create clear and reliable framework conditions, rather than watering down existing regulations.”Müller-Görnert was referring to current negotiations at EU level around the phase out of internal combustion engine vehicles. Germany’s car manufacturers are struggling with tariffs, the growth of electric vehicles and intense competition from Chinese companies, and plan to cut thousands of jobs.Meanwhile, skyrocketing oil and gas prices following of the US- and Israel-led attack on Iran have led to increased interest in clean technologies. Sabel of the BWP expects the trend to continue in the heat pump market, despite new government rules which once again allow for the installation of new oil and gas boilers. Heat pumps are expected to account for around 42 percent of the heat supply by 2045, according to a report by think tank Öko-Institut which analysed hundreds of municipal heating plans.

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