Roughly 2% of Dutch motorists drive electric today. Yet, electric driving will become increasingly popular in the coming years. However, this year's subsidy pot for electric cars is already empty.
As many as 31% of Dutch motorists are also considering driving electric within five years. This is according to research by Pricewise among 1,000 respondents, in cooperation with independent fieldwork agency Panel Inzicht.Driving electric does come at a price. Not only the purchase costs, but also the number of claims and the damage burden of electric cars are much higher than for fuel cars. According to Voogd & Voogd Insurances, electric cars make more than twice as many claims as fuel cars.
Damage risk highest for heavy, luxury electric cars
Electric cars suffer damage on average once every four years. For fuel cars, the average is eight years. For heavy, luxury electric cars, it is even once every three years. These cars are also more often involved in accidents than fuel cars. The number of claims there is as much as 40% higher than the average number of claims among Dutch cars. In contrast, drivers of small electric vehicles are 10% less likely to have an accident than average.
More expensive parts and higher premiums for electric cars
According to Hans de Kok, director of Pricewise, the cost of car damage for electric cars is also much higher than for cars running on petrol, diesel or LPG. "Electric cars are not only often more expensive to buy, but they also consist of more expensive parts. As a result, it is much pricier to repair or replace them in case of damage. For this reason, car insurance premiums for these types of cars are often higher, but also because many insurers do not recognise the vehicle tracking security system of Tesla's, among others, as an official security class. The choice in the number of car insurance policies for an electric car therefore becomes much smaller and quickly more expensive."
Motorists wait for second-hand electric car
research shows that the group considering electric driving within five years consists mainly of motorists aged between 18 and 34 (41%). However, there is also a group that never wants to drive electric at all. One in ten Dutch motorists does not plan to. According to Cook, the high purchase price plays a major role. In addition, there is still cold feet about charging.
"Besides the fact that the subsidy pot for 2020, which started on 1 July for new electric cars, is already empty, most Dutch people still prefer to buy a second-hand car. Because electric cars have only recently been introduced to the market more massively, the supply of second-hand electric cars is very small," says De Kok. "In addition, the group that already drives electric mainly consists of drivers with business electric cars or lease cars.
Insurance premium up
Should over 30% of motorists start driving a new or used electric car in the next five years, this could cause a big increase in more expensive claims. This could mean that car premiums for electric cars will continue to rise in the coming years or the terms of these insurance policies will deteriorate," De Kok concludes.
