Carsharing in Germany: Stats, Market Leaders & New Trends

Car sharing in Germany keeps gaining momentum. As of early 2025, there are roughly 45,400 shared cars on the road — that’s up around 5% from the year before. And this growth isn’t just happening in big cities anymore. Carsharing has now reached nearly 1,400 towns and municipalities across the country — 8% more than in 2024.

Germans are increasingly embracing the "car on demand" lifestyle, choosing flexibility and sustainability over owning a personal vehicle. Let’s take a closer look at who’s leading the market, how big the fleets and user bases really are, and what trends are shaping carsharing in 2025.

Major Car sharing Operators

Germany’s car sharing market is highly fragmented, with nearly 300 operators ranging from nationwide players to small local services. Still, most of the action is driven by a handful of key leaders:

Miles Mobility

Miles is currently the largest car sharing provider in Germany. It operates on a free-floating model (no fixed stations) and serves many major cities, including Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and Cologne. As of 2025, its fleet includes tens of thousands of vehicles. The company is growing fast — over the past year, both its user base and fleet expanded by roughly 30%.

In early 2025, Miles partnered with Bolt, making its cars accessible directly through the Bolt Drive app, further boosting its visibility and reach.

Share Now / Free2Move

Formerly known as Share Now (originally a joint venture between BMW’s DriveNow and Daimler’s Car2Go), this service was acquired by Stellantis in 2022 and is now fully integrated into Free2Move.

Still operating as a free-floating service, Free2Move is present in Germany’s largest cities: Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt, and others. Its fleet includes several thousand vehicles, including hundreds of new Opel Corsas added in 2024–25. Free2Move remains a top contender, competing directly with Miles for urban customers.

Sixt share

Launched by rental giant Sixt, this service offers free-floating carsharing in cities like Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich. It appeals to users with minute-based pricing and the option for longer rentals. With its fleet size, Sixt share ranks among Germany’s top 5–6 car sharing providers.

Backed by the Sixt brand, the service regularly upgrades its vehicles and offers competitive rates — although it operates in the same cities as powerhouses like Miles and Free2Move.

Bolt

Estonia-based Bolt, best known for ride-hailing and e-scooters, entered the German carsharing scene between 2023 and 2025. Since it didn’t have a large fleet of its own, Bolt launched Bolt Drive in early 2025 by partnering with Miles, giving users access to 20,000+ vehicles directly through its app.

The service rolled out in over ten cities, including Munich and Hamburg, and is expanding to Berlin and Potsdam. This bold move instantly made Bolt Drive one of the biggest platforms by combining fleets under one app — a great example of collaboration for user convenience.

Stadtmobil

Stadtmobil is the leading station-based car sharing provider in Germany. It’s actually a network of regional cooperatives that operate cars from designated stations across many cities, particularly in western and southern Germany.

Its fleet includes several thousand vehicles, and in some cities like Karlsruhe, it also offers flexible “Stadtflitzer” cars that allow one-way trips within city limits. Thanks to its large station network, Stadtmobil remains the dominant force in the classic return-to-station segment.

Cambio

Cambio is another major station-based and mixed-model provider, active in over 30 cities including Bremen, Cologne, Bonn, and Aachen. Its fleet consists of thousands of vehicles — from small compacts to vans — which can be reserved in advance.

Cambio runs as a cooperative model and has built strong roots in its local markets. In 2024–25, it continued expanding into smaller towns, solidifying its place among Germany’s top four operators alongside Stadtmobil.

teilAuto (Mobility Center)

This large regional operator is active in eastern and central Germany, serving cities like Leipzig, Dresden, Magdeburg, and Erfurt. teilAuto offers a mixed fleet, combining station-based cars with flexible one-way options in some cities.

By 2025, teilAuto ranks fifth nationally by fleet size. The company had a strong year in 2024, growing its fleet by over 10% according to industry data.

book-n-drive

Focused on the Rhine-Main region (Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Mainz), book-n-drive uses a hybrid model with traditional station-based vehicles and flexible CityFlitzer cars that can be parked anywhere within the city.

This format helped book-n-drive secure a spot in Germany’s top 10 carsharing companies. In 2025, the company reported growth in both users and fleet size — especially in the CityFlitzer category, highlighting the popularity of flexible carsharing.

Top 10 Carsharing Companies in Germany

Aside from these big names, Germany is home to hundreds of smaller car-sharing providers. Many are locally run projects, often supported by municipalities or cooperatives. For example, Scouter operates in several mid-sized cities in eastern Germany, while deer focuses on all-electric fleets in small towns in the south. These regional services often follow a station-based model and help bring carsharing to places where the big players haven’t reached yet — filling the gaps while the giants compete over the big cities.

Number of Vehicles and Users

Germany’s car-sharing market is growing — and the numbers speak for themselves. As of early 2025, there are roughly 45,400 shared vehicles in use across the country. Of those, about 27,400 (60%) belong to free-floating services, while the remaining 18,000 (40%) are operated by station-based or mixed-model services.

During 2024, the national fleet grew by 5.3%, adding around 2,300 new vehicles. The biggest growth came from station-based and hybrid services, which expanded by 7.4%, showing their ongoing push into new cities and towns. Free-floating services also grew, but at a slower pace — around 4%.

A Quick Breakdown of Models:

• Free-floating: Pick up and drop off a car anywhere within a defined zone. No fixed parking station required.
• Station-based: You book a car from a specific station and usually return it to the same spot — the classic round-trip model.
• Mixed: Some operators offer both — stations for advance bookings, plus floating cars for more flexibility.

In 2025, only 7 operators in Germany run purely free-floating fleets — mainly the large brands already mentioned. Meanwhile, around 290 operators offer station-based or hybrid models, making up nearly all of the country’s local and regional carsharing services.

User Numbers: How Many People Use Carsharing?

The total number of users is significant — but it was recalculated in 2025 using more accurate methods. In previous years, the industry reported over 5 million total registrations, but many users had accounts with multiple services (especially in large cities where people often use Miles, Free2Move, and Sixt side-by-side).

To fix this, the industry cleaned up its databases in 2025 by removing duplicate and inactive accounts.

• For station-based and mixed-model services, there are now about 875,000 unique users. That’s about 12% lower than earlier reports, due to the removal of roughly 200,000 overlapping or outdated accounts — especially from networks like Flinkster, which used to count the same person multiple times across different regional partners.

So this new number reflects actual people, not just account totals.

• For free-floating services, updated user data is harder to pin down. The big operators don’t share a unified system, and many users still have multiple accounts. In 2024, the sector reported over 4.5 million registrations, but the true number of unique active users is likely lower. (It’s common for a Berlin resident to have accounts with Miles, Free2Move, and Sixt at the same time.)

Even with these adjustments, we can confidently say that millions of people in Germany actively use free-floating carsharing — especially in large cities.

Combined Total

If we put both segments together, Germany has over 5 million total registrations across all car-sharing platforms in 2025.

So while the paper count dipped due to database cleanups, real usage continues to grow. Industry estimates suggest that, if not for the data reset, the station-based segment alone would have grown by 8% in active users over the past year. And free-floating services continue to report double-digit growth in trips and app signups.

Coverage: From Big Cities to Small Towns

A few years ago, carsharing in Germany was mainly a big-city phenomenon. But by 2025, that’s no longer the case. Today, carsharing services can be found almost everywhere. Here’s what the current landscape looks like:

• 1,393 towns and municipalities in Germany now have at least one carsharing provider. That includes major cities, mid-sized towns, and even some rural villages. During 2024 alone, 108 new towns gained carsharing access.
• Station-based and mixed-model services are responsible for most of this expansion. As of 2025, they’re active in 1,385 locations and added service in 114 new places over the past year — many of them small towns. These services are often supported by local governments or citizen initiatives, helping bring carsharing to new areas far from major urban centers.
• Free-floating services, by contrast, are only available in 44 cities (and their surrounding areas). In fact, that number dropped slightly — 6 fewer cities than in 2024. That’s because these flexible models tend to work best in large urban zones, and some operators pulled out of less profitable locations last year.

That said, all major cities — Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf — are still fully covered by multiple free-floating operators. In some cases, their zones even extend into nearby suburbs, like Potsdam (near Berlin) or small towns around Munich.

Those 44 cities cover around 13.5 million residents, making them the main target for free-floating carsharing.

Station-Based Services: Quietly Dominating

In comparison, towns with station-based carsharing are home to roughly 48.6 million people — a majority of Germany’s population. Even in small towns, there’s a good chance that at least one local provider offers a small fleet of shared cars.

Interestingly, city size isn’t everything. In fact, the German city with the highest number of shared vehicles per capita isn’t Berlin or Munich — it’s Karlsruhe, with about 5 carsharing vehicles per 1,000 residents. That’s thanks to Stadtmobil’s strong presence and its flexible “stadtflitzer” one-way option.

Other big cities like Munich, Hamburg, and Berlin also have high ratios — about 3 to 3.5 cars per 1,000 residents. But some mid-sized cities (like Freiburg, Tübingen, or Marburg) actually outperform larger metros thanks to strong local station-based networks.

Big Cities vs. Smaller Ones: Two Complementary Worlds

• In large urban centers, free-floating vehicles dominate. In Berlin or Hamburg, for example, there are thousands of floating cars from Miles, Free2Move, and Sixt — far outnumbering the station-based options like Cambio or Stadtmobil.
• In cities under 500,000 residents, the opposite is true: station-based fleets make up the majority, and free-floating services may be nonexistent. In places like Bremen or Bonn, the classic round-trip carsharing model rules.

Together, these two formats — floating and station-based — complement each other geographically. Free-floating thrives in big cities; station-based fills the gaps in smaller towns and suburbs.

So no matter where you are in Germany, if carsharing exists in your area, it’s likely tailored to local needs — whether that’s city convenience or rural practicality.

What’s Changed Since 2024

Between early 2024 and early 2025, Germany’s carsharing landscape has seen some notable shifts — both in size and structure:

Fleet Growth: +5.3%

Germany’s carsharing fleet grew by roughly 2,300 vehicles in 2024 — a 5.3% year-over-year increase. Most of that growth came from station-based and mixed-model providers, which added over 1,200 vehicles. Free-floating fleets also grew, but more modestly — about +4%.

This shows that while the big city players are still expanding, regional operators are growing more aggressively, especially in new towns and smaller markets.

Geographic Expansion: +108 New Locations

Carsharing expanded into 108 new towns and municipalities in 2024 — including 104 small towns with fewer than 50,000 residents. This impressive growth is largely thanks to local-level efforts and community-backed operators like Cambio, teilAuto, Stadtmobil, and various startups.

Meanwhile, free-floating services pulled out of 6 smaller cities, likely due to profitability issues. But all the major metros remain fully covered, so this shift didn’t significantly impact the big picture.

New Operators: From 293 to 297

Four new providers joined the market in 2024, bringing the total to 297 operators. These are mostly small, locally focused services, often backed by municipalities or cooperatives.

While a few providers exited or were acquired, the net trend is still positive — more new launches than shutdowns.

Database Cleanup: Real User Numbers

One of the biggest changes was behind the scenes: in 2025, the industry cleaned up its user data.

• The number of registered users for station-based services dropped from around 1 million to 875,000. But that’s not a real decline — it’s the result of removing inactive and duplicate accounts.
• The main reason was the shutdown of Flinkster, the national platform run by Deutsche Bahn, which had been double-counting users across regional partners.
• Without this data reset, the station-based segment would’ve shown around 8–10% growth in users.

So while the paper numbers shrank, the real audience kept growing.

Mergers and Acquisitions

No major M&A deals happened in 2024, but past deals continued to reshape the market.

• Share Now fully merged into Free2Move, with the old brand disappearing from the German market.
• Miles Mobility finalized the integration of WeShare, Volkswagen’s electric carsharing service. That added hundreds of EVs to Miles’ fleet and strengthened its position as Germany’s #1 operator.

In short, 2024 was a year of consolidation: the big players focused on integration, while smaller services carved out their niches.

Market Exits

Some operators left the German market entirely. For example, GreenMobility, a Danish electric carsharing company, shut down operations in Cologne and Düsseldorf to focus on Scandinavia and other markets.

Its fleet was small, so the impact on national numbers was minimal — but it’s a clear sign that competition is fierce, and foreign startups need solid support to survive here.

Overall, German and pan-European companies now dominate the market, while outsiders either team up with local giants or leave.

Despite economic headwinds and regulatory changes — like the end of federal EV subsidies for corporate fleets — Germany’s carsharing sector kept growing in 2024. Fleets expanded, new cities were added, and the market got cleaner and more efficient.

Trends and Technologies

Electrification of Carsharing

2025 confirms the continued shift toward electric vehicles in carsharing fleets. Operators are transitioning to battery-powered cars even without direct government subsidies. As of early 2025, around 20–21% of all vehicles in station-based and mixed-model services are fully electric — up by 1.3 percentage points from the previous year. By comparison, only about 3–4% of privately registered cars in Germany are electric, meaning carsharing companies are leading the way.

Free-floating services are also going electric: past data showed about 17% of their fleets consisted of EVs (e.g., electric Smarts or BMW i3s in Share Now, or VW ID.3s added to Miles via WeShare). Exact 2025 numbers are not available yet, but further growth is expected — especially with Miles aiming to add up to 10,000 EVs from Volkswagen Group. Users are increasingly choosing electric cars in the apps, either for environmental reasons or to save on fuel, as electricity is cheaper. In cities like Berlin and Hamburg, hundreds of shared EVs are already on the streets — and the numbers keep rising.

Integration with Public Transport

Carsharing is becoming a key part of urban mobility systems. Germany is advancing the concept of “Mobility as a Service,” where all transport modes are integrated for the user. In nearly all major cities, there are unified apps or platforms that allow users to plan routes using a mix of metro, buses, carsharing, taxis, and bikes.

Berlin’s Jelbi app by BVG, for example, lets users rent bikes, scooters, and cars from different providers in one interface. Similar systems exist in Munich, Hamburg, and other cities. Some carsharing companies offer discounts or special rates to public transport pass holders. Even though Flinkster has been discontinued, Deutsche Bahn is now promoting the DB Connect app, which includes access to partner carsharing services when planning a train trip. Users can now book a shared car right after buying a train ticket — perfect for getting to the final destination. More and more carsharing spots are being added near train stations and metro stops, turning them into last-mile hubs.

Dynamic Pricing and New Tariffs

In 2025, rising competition has pushed operators to adopt flexible pricing models. Many free-floating services now offer dynamic rates based on time of day, demand, and trip length. For example, per-minute prices might be higher during rush hour and lower at night. Some operators give discounts for ending trips in specific zones to help balance vehicle distribution.

Flat-rate packages are also gaining popularity: users can book hourly, daily, or weekend plans at a fixed price, which often beats the standard per-minute cost. This blurs the line between carsharing and traditional car rental. Miles uses a unique pricing model based on kilometers instead of time — a system many users prefer, especially in traffic. Other services like Free2Move and Sixt now offer either per-minute or distance-based pricing, letting customers choose what fits them best.

Partnerships and Platforms

As the Bolt–Miles example shows, services are starting to merge into multi-functional platforms. Bolt, which lacked its own car fleet in Germany, became a major player by integrating access to Miles vehicles into its app. This lets users find cars, scooters, and taxis all in one place.

Another example is the FREE NOW app (formerly mytaxi), which now lets users rent cars from Share Now and Sixt share in some cities. These aggregators simplify access — no need to download a dozen different apps. For operators, it’s a new way to reach customers.

In the future, we may see mobility subscriptions where one monthly fee covers unlimited public transport, a set number of carsharing hours, and some taxi rides. While this idea is still in development, early steps are already visible.

New Types of Vehicles

Carsharing in Germany isn’t limited to compact city cars anymore. There’s growing demand for vans and minibuses. Miles and Sixt, for example, offer short-term rentals of cargo vans — useful for moving or large shopping trips. Some companies specialize in electric minibuses or even electric motorcycle sharing, a niche that’s emerging in cities like Berlin and Hamburg.

Expanding vehicle types is a response to user needs: people want to rent the right vehicle for the job — whether it’s a quick errand or hauling furniture.

Technology and Convenience

By 2025, carsharing is fully app-based. Everything — from registration and license verification to booking, unlocking, and payment — happens through a smartphone. Technology has become more reliable: cars unlock quickly via Bluetooth or mobile internet, and rental sessions end smoothly.

Many apps now offer parking assistance, showing users where it’s easiest to leave the car or even reserving a space (as some station-based services already do). Telematics and sensors help operators monitor fuel levels, battery charge, and vehicle condition — and they notify users when a refill or charge is needed.

In some apps, you can now see the fuel or battery status in advance and pick a fully charged car for longer trips. All of this makes the experience feel just as smooth as using your own car — but without the hassle of owning one.

Environmental and Social Impact

In 2025, more attention is being paid to the broader impact of carsharing on cities. According to industry studies, each shared vehicle replaces 10 to 15 privately owned cars. Altogether, the existing carsharing fleet has replaced around 190,000–200,000 personal cars — meaning that many people have chosen not to buy (or have sold) their vehicles thanks to carsharing access.

That frees up massive amounts of urban space (hundreds of thousands of parking spots) and reduces CO₂ emissions. More cities are seeing carsharing as a tool for the “Verkehrswende” — the shift toward sustainable urban transport. As a result, municipalities are allocating dedicated carsharing spaces, incorporating shared vehicles into transport planning for new districts, and running public awareness campaigns.

This support encourages people to give it a try. For many city residents, carsharing is no longer something new — it’s just another normal option, like taking the bus or riding a bike.

New Launches, Shutdowns, and Expansions

The German car sharing market continues to evolve: new projects are launching, services are expanding into new regions, and some companies are exiting due to competition.

New Launches and Expansions

In 2025, there’s been a surge in local initiatives. Small towns are launching their own carsharing services — often with electric vehicles. For example, several community-backed or utility-based carsharing projects began operations in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, putting their towns on the carsharing map.

The major providers are also growing:

• Cambio expanded into new cities.
• teilAuto launched in additional towns in Thuringia.
• Stadtmobil opened new stations in more neighborhoods.

By the end of 2024, Miles Mobility expanded its coverage in the Berlin region (with cars now in Potsdam and surrounding areas) and around Munich. Miles is now looking to enter cities that previously relied only on station-based services — for example, Stuttgart, once the home of Car2Go’s electric Smarts, now dominated by Stadtmobil and teilAuto. Miles is eyeing a free-floating comeback there.

Sixt share also reported new per-minute rental launches in mid-sized cities, slowly expanding beyond just the biggest hubs.

In short, both large and small players are continuing to expand — but more cautiously, avoiding the overhyped growth mistakes of the past.

Partnerships

One of the most notable events is the Bolt–Miles alliance, launched in early 2025. It allowed Bolt, which didn’t have its own fleet, to instantly become a major player by aggregating access to Miles vehicles. For the industry, this could signal more service consolidation: other platforms might start integrating carsharing as well.

There are also tech partnerships:

• Insurance companies like HDI and startup Cachet are building new products for carsharing. Bolt Drive, for example, now offers flexible insurance solutions through these partners.
• Automakers are staying involved: Volkswagen, after handing off WeShare to Miles, is expected to promote its EVs through partnerships. BMW/MINI continues supplying large volumes of Mini Coopers to Sixt.

The result is a tighter ecosystem linking automakers, operators, and tech platforms.

Shutdowns and Market Exits

There were some exits as well. As noted earlier, GreenMobility, a Danish electric carsharing company, pulled out of Germany in late 2023 after struggling to compete in cities like Cologne and Düsseldorf.

Earlier exits included VW’s WeShare, which merged into Miles, and DriveNow/Car2Go, which were combined into Share Now (now Free2Move). No major German providers filed for bankruptcy in 2024 — the market is now more stable than in the mid-2010s, when startups like Oply and Multicity shut down.

Some small local services may still exit quietly if they fail to build a user base. Still, the total number of operators increased, meaning more new projects launched than closed.

It’s also worth noting that Deutsche Bahn, despite shutting down Flinkster, hasn’t abandoned carsharing. Instead, DB launched a new app and shifted toward supporting partner services under its “Mobilitätspartner” strategy. So rather than running its own fleet, Deutsche Bahn now integrates with local providers — a strategic shift, not a retreat. This also fits well with the growing trend of carsharing-public transport integration.

Final Takeaways

By 2025, carsharing in Germany is no longer a niche trend — it’s a mainstream part of urban mobility. The market has reached impressive scale: tens of thousands of vehicles, millions of trips per year, and hundreds of thousands of satisfied users.

Large providers compete on innovation and service quality, while smaller ones fill the gaps — bringing shared cars to towns and neighborhoods the big names don’t reach. Most importantly, the momentum continues: fleets are growing, coverage is expanding, and technology keeps improving. Germans value the convenience of having a car whenever they need it — without worrying about maintenance or parking.

In 2025, carsharing is greener, easier, and smarter than ever:

• EVs are increasingly replacing gas-powered cars.
• Apps are turning into all-in-one tools for urban mobility.
• Pricing is adapting to real-world user needs.

After years of rapid growth and experimentation, the market is now entering a phase of steady, thoughtful expansion — built on strategic partnerships and long-term planning. Companies are finding the right balance between competition and collaboration, working together to make "cars on demand" a practical alternative to ownership.

Cities benefit too: fewer private cars means less congestion and cleaner air. Sure, challenges remain — like profitability in small towns, deeper integration with public transit, or faster fleet electrification. But Germany’s example shows that carsharing is clearly moving from a trendy idea to a permanent feature of modern transportation.

Every day, more people sell their personal cars knowing they can rent one with a tap on their phone. That means 2025 isn’t the peak — it’s just another step forward. Carsharing in Germany still has room to grow — and it’s changing how people move through their cities for good.