Electric vehicles continue to charge forward in the Netherlands
29 August 2023
The Netherlands saw further electric vehicle (EV) growth in its July registrations, on an upward trajectory that is expected to continue to the end of the year. José Pontes, data director at EV-volumes.com, investigates the latest figures.
EV registrations increased to 10,922 units in July, with the plug-in vehicle market reaching a 38% market share last month. More generally, the Dutch market grew by 31% compared to the same period last year, with 28,687 registrations in total.
Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) led the way, making up 25% of all new vehicle deliveries and increasing registrations by 43% year on year. Within the EV market, made up of BEVs and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), the all-electric technology took 65% of sales. This brought the year-to-date average down slightly, to 68% of the EV market.
Across the first seven months of 2023, EVs recorded a 42% market share. This is expected to continue its upward trajectory, reaching close to 50% of the entire Dutch market by the end of 2023, meaning the country could have its EV transition finished before the end of the decade.
Of this year-end share, BEVs could make up 80% of final EV sales, which would represent a significant advance over the 69% share of 2022. This would suggest that PHEVs will lose relevance in the Netherlands by 2025, making the country a BEV-based marketplace.
Skoda leads the top 10
Securing its best result in 15 months, Skoda had reason to be pleased with their performance in the EV market last month, thanks to the Enyaq, which topped the best-selling list. The model saw 742 registrations in July, which also helped it take second-place in the overall market.
The Czech model was followed by the Tesla Model Y in the EV listings. The all-electric SUV had 523 registrations, a positive result considering about it is the first month of the quarter, and Tesla’s strategy of making deliveries at the end of every three months means its performances dip around these earlier periods. In third, and just one unit behind, the Ford Kuga PHEV scored a record result in July with 522 registrations.
It was not just the top three that performed well. In 13th position was the Citroen e-C4, with 229 deliveries in July, a good result for the quirky model. It performed much better than the Renault Megane EV, which was only 16th in the month, highlighting the struggles the brand is facing. The company may need to think about cutting prices of the model to ensure it remains relevant, until the arrival of the new Renault 5, which is sure to spark interest.
Further below sat, the Audi Q8 e-tron, which had 175 registrations, placing it in 17th last month. The big Audi has therefore consolidated its position as the best seller in the full-size category.
Outside the top 20, the only highlight was the Polestar 2, which delivered 154 units, just six fewer than the 20th-placed Kia Sportage PHEV.
When it comes to the year-to-date figures, the Tesla Model Y has enough distance over runner-up Lynk & Co 01 PHEV to remain in a comfortable lead. The compact Chinese SUV has gained important ground over its cousin, the third-placed Volvo XC40, with the Swedish model now 327 units behind.
Thanks to its strong performance in July, the Skoda Enyaq jumped two positions to round off the period in fifth place. The Ford Kuga PHEV was also up, benefitting from the fact that model is now PHEV-only in the Dutch market. This, added to competitive leasing rates, a critical factor in all-important company car segments, allowed the plug-in hybrid crossover to jump four positions to eighth.
In the second half of the table, the highlights came from Korea. The Kia EV6 climbed to 15th, while the Hyundai Ioniq 5 was up to 16th-place.
Leading manufacturers lose share
In the monthly manufacturer rankings, Tesla remained in top spot with Volvo in second. However, both carmakers lost share, with the former dropping 0.4% to a 10.5% share, and the latter at 8.9%, down from 9.4%. For Tesla, this was expected, due to the fact that July is a slow month for the brand, as it is the first of a new quarter.
Volvo’s decline, however, comes on the back of a few slow months, and may be an indicator that demand for the current XC40 is drying up, as buyers wait for the new EX30.
Meanwhile, BMW (8.2%, up from 8%) remained in third, while Peugeot (7%, up from 6.9%) remained stable in fourth thanks to the good results of its 208 and 2008 small car family. This allowed the French manufacturer to stay ahead of fifth-placed Volkswagen (6.8%).
As for OEMs, bringing brands together under their parent group, former leader Geely–Volvo again lost share, going from 16.5% down to 15.8%. This is far from the 18.3% it had in May. The latest drop is mostly due to the Volvo and Lynk & Co brands having a slow month in July. This allowed Stellantis to surpass them and take the top spot, despite also losing share (16.3%, down from 16.4%).
Worse still for Geely, third-placed Volkswagen Group is improving its market share, which currently sits at 15.2%, up from 14.5%. The German marque now has the second-place spot in its sights, and may even be looking further forward, targeting first place by the end of the year.
Finally, Hyundai Motor Group benefitted from a positive month, with a 10.9% share, up 0.4%, and surpassed Tesla to climb into fourth position.
