Petrol cars remain by far the most popular choice among Dutch people looking to buy a new car for the time being. More than half of Dutch people choose a petrol car in that case. More than one in five Dutch people opt for a car with an electric motor. An all-electric car is the preferred choice.
This is according to research conducted by independent fieldwork agency Panel Inzicht on behalf of suppliers of solar panels, among 2,000 Dutch people. 52% of respondents reported choosing a petrol car when buying their next car. An all-electric car comes a long way in second place; 9.2% of Dutch people surveyed said they would like to buy an electric car as their next car.
Combustion engine remains popular
Interestingly, the vast majority of Dutch people still prefer a car with a combustion engine. For instance, 5.8% of respondents choose a diesel car, while 0.7% opt for LPG. This means that 58.5% of Dutch people still choose a car with combustion engine.
20.7% of Dutch people choose a car with an electric motor when buying their next car. With 9.2%, the largest group here prefers a fully electric car. 6.7% choose a hybrid car, while 4.8% want to buy a plug-in hybrid car. 20.7% do not yet know which car they want to buy as their next car.
Solar panel owners more likely to choose EV
In the survey, Zonneplan also zooms in on solar panel owners. Dutch people who have solar panels appear to be more inclined to buy an electric car. A quarter of respondents with solar panels, for example, will choose an all-electric, hybrid or plug-in hybrid at the next purchase moment. Among other Dutch people, this percentage is 18%. In particular, a plug-in hybrid and fully electric car is more popular among this group. Zonneplan calls it remarkable that diesel and LPG are also more popular among solar panel owners.
At 9.2%, almost one in ten Dutch people want to buy an all-electric car as their next car. The timing of this purchase varies. 3.8% per cent expect to make the switch within a year. 12.9% expect to do so within two to three years. 14.5% expect to make the switch within four to five years.
One in three cars electric within five years
Together with the small two per cent of Dutch people who already drive electric, this means that one in three cars in the Netherlands will be electric within five years. A third do not yet know when they intend to make the switch, so this share could rise further.
Finally, the survey also shows that some respondents are not positive about electric driving and do not want to make the switch. A fifth state that they do not plan to ever drive electric. However, Zonneplan points out that from 2030 no new cars with combustion engines will be allowed to be sold, forcing this group to switch to another energy source.
Quarter of a million BEVs on Dutch roads
Figures from the Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO) show that 253,743 fully electric so-called 'Battery Electric Vehicles' (BEV) are currently on Dutch roads, compared to 144,959 plug-in hybrids (PHEVs). The Tesla Model 3 is currently the most popular model on Dutch roads with 41,401 units. The Mitsubishi Outlander follows with 21,385 units and the Kia Niro with 16,326 units.
In February 2022, the Lynk & Co 01 - a PHEV - was the best-selling model with 369 units. The all-electric Kia Niro followed with 301 units, while the hybrid Volvo XC40 was third with 278 units. BEVs sold a total of 2,448 more units in February 2022 than in the same month a year earlier. For PHEVs, this increase was 957 units. This makes BEVs account for 16% of all cars sold, while PHEVs account for 12%.
The RVO also looks at the number of charging stations available in the Netherlands. These include 87,657 public and semi-public charging posts with regular charging speeds. In addition, 2,958 fast chargers are available.
The latest figures from the RVO regarding EVs are available here.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source photo: Pixabay / geralt
