Briefing
The German Automobile Club (ADAC) presented its “Mobil in der Stadt” 2026 report on 3 November 2026. For the representative survey, around 11,600 people in 29 medium-sized German cities were interviewed in June 2026, with about 400 interviews conducted in each city. The ADAC reports that the average satisfaction score has fallen compared with the 2021 survey, while the data also show marked regional and city-level differences.
In the overall ranking of the 29 cities surveyed, Münster once again takes first place, followed closely by Freiburg and Erfurt among the top-ranked cities. At the bottom of the ranking is Ludwigshafen. Freiburg is particularly relevant to the south-west: according to the ADAC, the city receives above-average ratings in several categories – especially for public transport and cycling –.
The study uses sub-indices for car users, public transportusers, cyclists and pedestrians. One clear finding is the relatively high level of dissatisfaction among drivers in many cities, who primarily criticise parking availability, value for money and time lost in traffic. Ratings for cycling vary considerably: some municipalities achieve high satisfaction scores, while in others criticisms such as gaps in the network and safety shortcomings predominate. For public transport, respondents often praise the density of stops and interchange options, but criticise fares and the lack of park-and-ride facilities.
The ADAC describes the results as a snapshot of respondents’ views at the time of the survey and notes that long-term improvements depend on municipal investment decisions and how they are funded. Its recommendations include better integration between transport modes, targeted investment in cycling infrastructure and a revised public transport value-for-money approach. The findings give local authorities and state policymakers concrete indications of where priorities should lie to improve satisfaction with mobility.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).