Electric driving has become considerably more expensive in the Netherlands than driving on petrol. That calculates the ANWB in its latest Electric Driving Monitor.
Each kilometer driven by an electric car costs 76 cents, 9 cents more than a petrol car. Anyone who drives an EV (electric vehicle) from Maastricht to Leeuwarden (about 325 kilometers) will therefore spend 247 euros, 29.25 euros more than in a petrol car.
A lot of car owners in the Netherlands will notice this. Although the vast majority of cars here still run on gas or petrol, the share of electric cars is growing rapidly. According to the RAI Associationthe representative of the automotive industry, about 14 percent of the cars in the Netherlands are currently electric or hybrid. That is more than four times more than five years ago.
Three questions about the price of electric driving.
1
Why has electric driving become more expensive?
This has to do with three things: taxes, depreciation and subsidies. The most important thing is the motor vehicle tax. Until now, this did not apply to owners of EVs, but that advantage is disappearing. From January, EV drivers will pay a quarter of the normal rate, from 2026 that will be 75 percent, and in five years the exemption will be completely gone.
The motor vehicle tax is particularly disadvantageous for electric vehicles, which are often relatively heavy due to the batteries. The weight is taken into account when calculating this tax. Car industry organization Bovag calculated that the road tax for an electric Volkswagen ID.3 will be around 60 euros higher per quarter than that for the comparable petrol Volkswagen Golf.
The purchase subsidy for EVs will also be scrapped. The 2,950 euros that you now get back when purchasing a new car will disappear next year. And for second-hand EVs, the subsidy of 2,000 euros will also disappear. Harm Zeven, electric driving expert from the ANWB, is not happy with the development. “As a government you can turn buttons, but you shouldn’t just switch them on and off without seeing what happens. That is what is happening now.”
What also doesn’t help is that electric cars lose their value faster than expected and also faster than petrol cars. For example, a new Tesla Model 3 was worth 51,000 euros four years ago, but you can now get the car for less than 20,000 euros. This is due to technological progress. New models are continuously improved, especially in terms of range and charging speed. A car that you buy now will often be outdated before you have properly paid it off, which will reduce the residual value of older models. Anyone who bought an EV early is therefore often the victim of technological progress.
2
What does this development mean for the transition to electric driving?
In any case, this does not seem to help make the Netherlands more sustainable. Seven of the ANWB fears that many consumers will be less likely to switch to electric driving if the benefits disappear. “And then production will also be scaled back, as you are already seeing at Volkswagen.”
At the moment, electric cars are still as popular. This year, 115,000 electric vehicles have already been sold; one in three new cars is electric. A total of 571,000 fully electric cars are now driving around in the Netherlands.
3
Is there only bad news for everyone with an electric car?
No. There is a small group that is still cheaper with an EV, especially owners of solar panels who can charge at home. For them, charging is a lot cheaper than refueling. Charging costs an average of 9 cents per kilometer, while for petrol it is now 14 cents.
The purchase price of electric cars is also steadily decreasing. Last year there were seven models under 35,000 euros. This will increase to sixteen models in 2024. The average Dutch person does not want to spend more than 34,500 euros on a new electric car, according to the ANWB.
However, most models are still priced above 50,000 euros, making the switch to electric driving especially financially feasible for people with a higher income. Currently, 30 percent of new EVs go to private individuals and the rest to business drivers.