The ADAC provided around 3.7 million breakdown assists nationwide in 2025, a slight increase from the previous year. The most common cause was a defective starter battery, while breakdowns involving electric vehicles and bicycles rose significantly.
The ADAC automobile club reports an increase in breakdown deployments across several German states in 2025. Nationwide, around 3.7 million assists were provided, corresponding to an increase of about 60,000 cases. On average, the ADAC helped every nine seconds with a breakdown.
In Hessen, breakdown services responded to 349,782 incidents, one percent more than in 2024 and averaging 958 per day. Rheinland-Pfalz saw 218,837 cases, up by 5,136. Sachsen-Anhalt recorded 62,562 deployments, over 171 daily. In Sachsen, they exceeded 110,000 with a rise of 3,000; Thüringen had 54,600 (+1,300); and Saarland 57,339 (+1 percent).
The defective starter battery was the most common cause in all regions, accounting for about 45 percent of cases, followed by engine damage or motormanagement issues at around 22 percent. “With the increasing number and growing age of electric vehicles, the number of EV breakdowns is also rising,” stated the ADAC announcements. Nationwide, there were 50,445 deployments for pure electric vehicles, a 15 percent increase; in half the cases, the battery was defective.
Bicycle breakdowns also rose by 15 percent to 19,455 cases, with 72 percent due to flat tires. Sachsen-Anhalt had 274, Hessen 1,419, and Sachsen 550 cases. The breakdown service for bicycles and e-bikes has been available around the clock since summer 2022, wherever deployment vehicles can reach under traffic regulations, as explained by ADAC spokesperson Oliver Reidegeld.
In Sachsen, August was the month with the most breakdowns, and February 17, 2025, the day with the highest number of emergency calls. Over 70 percent of assists in Sachsen occurred within one hour.
