Netherlands: About every third new car was electric in 2024

A good one in three cars sold in the Netherlands in 2024 had an all-electric drive on board. According to official figures from the RAI Association, the dealer association BOVAG and the management consultancy RDC, 132,166 new electric cars were registered in the past twelve months. The market penetration of all-electric vehicles has thus increased from 23.5 per cent in 2022 and 30.8 per cent in 2023 to 34.7 per cent. The best-selling model across all drive types was the Tesla Model Y.

According to the RAI Association and BOVAG, subsidies and tax incentives in the Netherlands have played a major role in the growing importance of all-electric cars. However, the incentives are due to expire in 2025.

The total Dutch passenger car market grew by 3 per cent to 381,227 units in 2023. This moderate increase is partly explained by a final spurt in December alone, in which 37,087 cars were registered, 40 per cent more than in the rather weak December 2023 (26,439 registrations).

Let’s look at the other drive types: hybrids achieved a market share of 42 per cent, although the Dutch statistics do not differentiate between plug-in, full, and mild hybrids. That means that partially electrified cars are becoming more important in the Netherlands. A year ago, their share of registrations was 37 per cent. Petrol cars have clearly lost ground in the past twelve months (down from 30% to 22% market share). Diesel (1%) and cars powered by LPG (0.6%) are still not very important.

To put this into context, it should be mentioned that many combustion engines are now sold as mild hybrids. Although they are partially electrified, they cannot drive purely electrically and thus only make a limited contribution to reducing emissions. The dealer association BOVAG indicates that the total sales of hybrids in the Netherlands in 2024 consisted of around one-third HEVs (Hybrid Electric Vehicles), one-third PHEVs (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles) and one-third MEVs (Mild Electric Vehicles). That is important to categorise the above figures correctly.

The most registered brand in the Netherlands in 2024 was Kia. However, the best-selling model across all drive types was the Tesla Model Y. A closer look at the 2024 statistics reveals that Kia (34,841 registrations with a market share of 9.1%) is just ahead of Volvo (30,955 registrations, 8.1 % market share) and Toyota (30,739 registrations, 8.1% market share) in the brand ranking. Tesla follows in fourth place (30,006 registrations, 7.9% market share), with last year’s winner, Volkswagen, in fifth place (26,989 registrations, 7.1% market share).

Among the most registered models in the Netherlands, the Tesla Model Y leads the statistics with 19,058 registrations and a market share of 5 per cent. The series was also ahead in 2023, with 13,758 registrations and a market share of 3.7 per cent. The Kia Niro (10,914 registrations, 2.9 per cent), the Volvo EX30 (10,802 registrations, 2.8 per cent), the Tesla Model 3 (10,702 registrations, 2.8 per cent) and the Kia Picanto (8,370 registrations, 2.2 per cent) follow in the top 5 ranking.

Suppose we zoom in only on the most frequently registered electric car models in 2024. In that case, the following picture emerges: The Volvo XC30 (8.2%), the Tesla Model 3 (8.1%), the Kia Niro (5,402 registrations, 4.1%), and the Volvo XC40 (4,873 registrations, 3.7%) line up behind the Tesla Model Y with a market share of 14.4 per cent in the electric-specific market. That means no electric car from the Volkswagen Group made it into the top 5 last year.

raivereniging.nl, mijn.bovag.nl, kentekenradar.nl (statistics), kentekenradar.nl (Tesla Model Y)