Modifying the rebound: It depends! Explaining mobility behavior on the basis of the German socio-economic panel

► We address the empirical question of the extent to which higher fuel efficiency of cars affects additional travel. ► The data set covers two panel waves, 1998 and 2003, taken from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). We estimate an unbalanced two-wave random effects panel model. ► Contrasting recent empirical literature, this seems to be true only for cars with a consumption of more than roughly 8 l per 100 km.► In addition, we find a positive diesel effect: Owning a diesel engine car has a positive effect on the distance driven. Both effects support the rebound hypothesis, although not in a simple linear way.► It can be shown that some “soft” variables such as certain attitudes towards the environment tend to amplify this non-linear rebound effect.