Electric cars still too expensive for many in NL

Electric driving is doing well in the Netherlands, with this type of vehicle shifting from lease driver to consumer in the past five years. Still, buying an electric car is still out of reach for a large group of Netherlands residents due to the high purchase price and limited supply on the second-hand market, travelers' organization ANWB said in its annual Electric Driving Monitor.

This year, the Netherlands had 216,000 fully electric cars on its roads, up from 145,000 from last year. According to the ANWB, the increase is due to purchase subsidies for new and used electric vehicles putting this clean transport within reach for private individuals. The range of new cars in the more affordable segments is also growing. And due to these lower entry prices, the total running costs for an electric vehicle are now lower than that of an average petrol car.

Like previous years, about a third of Netherlands residents are interested in electric driving. But the purchase price is still too high for many of them, the ANWB said. The Cabinet will have to address this if it wants to achieve its goal of emission-free driving by 2050, according to the organization.

The ANWB recommended expanding and continuing purchase subsidies for electric vehicles. "This must be tackled quickly because only with a sufficient influx of affordable new electric cars can a mature second-hand market emerge in three to four years," the ANWB said.