Number of electric cars continues to grow

The number of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) grew sharply in 2015. Last year, this growth continued with sales of new plug-in cars rising by 22.5 thousand to a total of 109.4 thousand by 1 January 2017.
However, sales declined by half in 2016 relative to the previous year, when 45 thousand new plug-in cars were sold. Sales reached a peak in December 2015, shortly before the low additional tax rate on plug-in hybrids was raised on 1 January 2017. The total number of plug-in cars in the Netherlands almost doubled in 2015.

Volkswagen Passat most popular plug-in

The most popular plug-in car in 2016 was the Volkswagen Passat (PHEV). On 1 January 2017, the Dutch car fleet included nearly 3.5 thousand new Volkswagens Passats. This model was followed by the Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine and the Tesla Model S. The Mitsubishi Outlander (PHEV) was the best-selling plug-in car in 2015 (8.3 thousand), but the number of new Mitsubishi Outlanders sold fell dramatically to approximately 700 in 2016.

Toyota Yaris best-selling traditional hybrid

Alongside plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles, there are hybrids (HEVs) which are not rechargeable through an external power source. These traditional hybrids were introduced to the Dutch market before plug-in hybrids. At the beginning of 2017, the Dutch passenger car fleet included nearly 136 thousand hybrids, over 9 percent up from one year previously. The best-selling hybrid car in 2016 was the Toyota Yaris Hybrid, follow by the Toyota Auris and the Kia Niro.

More data on motor vehicles in the Netherlands are available in the Annual Road Vehicle Monitor (Dutch only).