BEVs lead the Netherlands new-car market in August
02 October 2023
Electric vehicles (EVs) accounted for 45% of new-car sales in the Netherlands in August. José Pontes, data director at EV-volumes.com, considers the latest market trends.
The Dutch new-car market has been one of the fastest in Europe to increase its EV share. This trend continued in August, with 12,518 registrations of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs). This meant EVs made up 45% of all new-car deliveries in the month.
This was thanks primarily to BEVs, which saw registrations increase to 58% year on year, taking a 33% share of the overall market. The technology ended the month as the leading fuel type, outselling petrol, which saw a year-on-year decline of 16.9% with 7,857 registrations. The wider Dutch market recorded growth, but this was at a slower rate, up 18.6% with 27,825 registrations.
Breaking down the country’s EV market, BEVs made up 73% of plug-in registrations in August, pulling the year-to-date average to 69%. This share can be expected to reach 80% by the end of 2023, a significant advance on the 69% achieved in 2022.
With the year-to-date market share sitting at 42%, EVs can be expected to account for nearly half of registrations in the Netherlands by the end of this year. On this trajectory, the Dutch new-car market could complete its EV transition before the end of the decade.
Tesla leads the way
Tesla dominated the Netherland’s EV market in August. The Model Y finished in first place, and the Model 3 in second. Meanwhile, the Kia Niro ended the month in third with 539 registrations, of which 519 were BEVs. This was the nameplate’s best result since December 2021.
The summer holiday season did not bring many highlights to the top twenty table. The BMW iX1 claimed seventh with 325 registrations, confirming both models’ popularity. Below it, the MG4 surged to eighth with 302 registrations. At the bottom of the table, the Cupra Born came 20th with 167 units, a new best for the year.
Outside of the top 20, the highlights included the Audi Q8 e-Tron’s 151 registrations (confirming its leadership in the full-size segment) and the Jeep Avenger EV’s 154 deliveries. The Stellantis model could climb higher in the rankings soon.
Looking at the Netherlands’ wider new-car market (including all powertrains), only four of the top 10 models did not offer a plug-in version. This included the second-place Kia Picanto, the sixth-place Toyota Aygo X, the eighth-place Toyota Yaris, and the ninth-place Volkswagen (VW) Polo. These vehicles are either city cars (Picanto and Aygo) or are part of the B-segment/subcompact category (Yaris and Polo).
The larger models in the overall top 10 (Tesla Model Y and Model 3, Skoda Enyaq, Kia Niro), were either BEV-only or heavily electrified (76% of Kia Niro registrations were BEVs). So, while the EV transition in the upper half of the market has advanced, the lower end still has a long way to go. The arrival of models priced between €20,000 and €25,000 will certainly help.
A comfortable lead
Between January and August, the Tesla Model Y held enough distance over the second-place Lynk & Co 01 PHEV, to remain in a comfortable lead. The compact Chinese SUV pulled away from the third-place Volvo XC40, which has seen sales suffer since the presentation of the new EX30.
Three models are now looking to usurp the slowing Geely-Volvo models. This includes the fourth-place Peugeot e-208 EV, the fifth-place Skoda Enyaq and the sixth-place Tesla Model 3.
All three look set to achieve strong results in 2023. The Tesla Model 3 could reach second place thanks to its recent refresh, which should allow it to record high figures in December. Also looking set to benefit from a refresh, the Peugeot could compete for the final podium position.
The Kia Niro has also experienced a positive year so far. It climbed two positions to seventh in the year-to-date table, confirming its popularity on Dutch roads. In the second half of the chart, the BMW iX1 jumped two positions to 16th, now only three positions below the BMW i4. Expect the crossover to surpass the sporty model soon.
Finally, the MG4 showed up in 20th. The model can be expected to keep climbing the rankings as SAIC expands its portfolio with long-range and performance versions.
Opposite directions
In the brand ranking, leader Tesla (11.1%, up from 10.5%) and runner-up Volvo (8.3%, down from 8.9%) went in opposite directions. Volvo’s drop followed a series of slow months, with the Swedish brand falling from 9.4% in June. This may be due to demand for the XC40 waning, as drivers wait for the upcoming EX30.
Meanwhile, BMW (8.3%, up from 8.2%) remained in third and is looking to benefit from Volvo’s steep descent. Peugeot (7% share) remained stable in fourth thanks to the good results of the e-208. The French brand stayed ahead of VW (6.8%) in fifth.
As for OEMs, with brands grouped, Stellantis (16.4%) gained ground on Geely–Volvo, which went from 15.8% down to 14.8%, far from the 18.3% it had in May. While Polestar helped to soften the loss, Volvo and Lynk & Co seem to be in freefall, causing the OEM to lose a full 1% share in just a month.
Worse still for Geely, the rising VW Group (15.4%, up from 15.2%) surpassed it, putting it in second. This puts Geely-Volvo in third, representing a two-position drop for the OEM in just a couple of months. VW can be expected to go after the top spot, as it sets its sights on Stellantis (16.4% versus 15.4%). Finally, Tesla (11.1%) recovered fourth from Hyundai–Kia, which nevertheless had a positive month (11%, up 0.1%).
