What every column means

Manufacturer key — 4 digits, identifies the manufacturer (Herstellerschlüsselnummer).

KBA SV 4

Type key — 3 characters, identifies the type within that manufacturer (Typschlüsselnummer).

KBA SV 4

Both keys joined, the usual way to reference a type in Germany.

Variant key (VSN) where the type is subdivided further.

Internal ordinal of the key within its listing.

How many type keys of this brand or model range exist in our catalogue.

Watch out: A count of keys, not of vehicles.

Total number of type keys in scope.

Of those, how many are mapped to a model range in our catalogue.

Whether this key is mapped to a model range (yes/no).

Brand, in our curated spelling (e.g. “Mercedes-Benz”).

Brand exactly as the KBA writes it.

Watch out: Differs from ours for the largest names: the KBA writes “VW” and “MERCEDES”. Do not join the two columns on equality.

Our brand assignment where the official one is ambiguous or outdated.

Stable brand identifier (slug), safe to join on.

Parent group the brand belongs to (e.g. Volkswagen AG).

Model designation, curated.

Model designation exactly as published by the KBA.

Model range — the level at which the KBA reports monthly registrations.

Model range as published by the KBA.

Model range, our curated grouping across generations.

Stable identifier of the model range.

Trade name as recorded in the register.

Generation within the model range (e.g. a facelift or a new platform).

First production year of that generation.

Last production year; empty while still in production.

Whether the brand is still producing, or historical.

Vehicle categories the brand covers (cars, motorcycles, commercial, agricultural, trailers).

Country of origin of the brand as classified by the KBA.

KBA FZ 17

Official KBA market segment of the model range (e.g. Kompaktklasse, SUVs).

KBA FZ 12

Body type assignment.

Registered vehicles on the reference date.

KBA FZ 6

The year the stock figure refers to.

Passenger cars in stock.

KBA FZ 2 / FZ 27

The share of that stock our catalogue can attribute to a type key.

Watch out: Around 3.1 % of German cars are recorded without a type key at all and cannot appear in any HSN/TSN-level figure.

Reference date of the figure (usually 1 January or a quarter start).

Reference year.

Reporting year of the underlying KBA release.

Reference year of the CO₂ figure, which may differ from the stock year.

New registrations in the reporting month.

KBA FZ 10

New registrations year to date.

New registrations in the reporting year.

Reporting month, as the first day of that month.

Share of all new registrations in that month, in percent.

Share of all new registrations year to date, in percent.

Change against the same month one year earlier, in percent.

Watch out: A percentage change, not a factor: +110 % means 2.1 times as many, not 1.1 times.

Of the month’s registrations, how many were all-wheel drive.

Of the month’s registrations, how many were convertibles.

Powertrain classification.

Fuel type, official KBA wording.

KBA SV 1

Battery-electric vehicles.

Battery-electric registrations in the reporting month.

Battery-electric registrations year to date.

Battery-electric share of the fleet, in percent.

Diesel registrations in the reporting month.

Hybrids INCLUDING plug-in hybrids.

Watch out: Do not add plug-in hybrids to this column — they are already contained in it.

Hybrids EXCLUDING plug-in hybrids.

Plug-in hybrids.

Plug-in hybrid registrations in the reporting month.

Vehicles running on LPG or CNG.

All powertrains other than petrol and diesel, combined.

Engine power in kilowatts. Multiply by 1.36 for metric horsepower (PS).

Engine displacement in cubic centimetres.

Number of seats including the driver.

Maximum permissible laden mass in kilograms.

Body type, official KBA classification.

KBA SV 1

Emission standard (Euro 4, 5, 6 …).

Average CO₂ emissions of the entire model range in the reporting year, across all powertrains.

Watch out: A range average, not the value of the individual type key — and not meaningful for a battery-electric key.

KBA FZ 14

Average CO₂ emissions in grams per kilometre.

Average petrol consumption in litres per 100 km.

Average diesel consumption in litres per 100 km.

Federal state (Bundesland) — the 16 top-level regions.

Registration district (Zulassungsbezirk) — the authority a vehicle is registered with.

Watch out: Roughly 400 districts. Not identical to administrative counties, and their boundaries have changed over time.