Kia beats Volkswagen to take top spot as most popular car brand in Netherlands

New cars produced by South Korean brand Kia were the most popular choice by consumers in the Netherlands last year. It was the first time in 17 years that Volkswagen was not the number one brand in the country. The annual analysis of the Dutch passenger vehicle market found that Kia represented 30,036 total vehicle registrations, worth 9.6 percent market share. An estimated 312,129 new passenger cars were registered after purchase in the Netherlands last year, a 3.2 percent decrease compared to the previous year.

Volkswagen came in second place, with 25,993 vehicles for 8.3 percent of the market. The German brand delivered about 600 more vehicles than Toyota, which trailed closely behind at 8.1 percent of market share. Peugeot came in fourth place. The 21,242 Peugeot models purchased new in 2022 represented 6.8 percent of the Dutch market, beating out BMW, which held 5.5 percent of the market with 17,138 units purchased.

Even though the brand came in fourth, the Peugeot 208 was the most popular new car model, which was registered 9,640 times last year. The Kia Picanto (7,391) and Kia Niro (7,277) came in second and third place, respectively. That was followed by the Volvo XC40 (6,821), and the Opel Corsa (6,669).

The report also showed that that share of all-electric models rose to nearly one-fourth of all new car purchases in the country in 2022, according to BOVAG, RAI and RDC. “At 23.5 percent, the share of electric cars out of the total number of registrations was somewhat higher than one year previously,” the organizations wrote in a statement. About 19.8 percent of all new cars sold in 2021 were all-electric models.

Despite last year’s drop in deliveries, a total of 340,000 new cars are expected to be registered in the Netherlands in 2023, both BOVAG and RAI. In the report, it was noted that for two years in a row, the automotive industry “was faced with supply problems last year due to global shortages to computer chips and other components.”

The auto industry organizations believe manufacturers will catch up on fulfilling orders that were delayed in 2022, leading to a higher number of vehicles registered on Dutch roads. However, there is still uncertainty due to “global and domestic economic and geopolitical developments, not least of which is driven by the war in Ukraine.”

Electric cars should continue to be a popular choice with the Dutch government offering consumers 67 million euros in subsidies. The government will provide 2,950 euros for new electric cars purchased with a maximum price of 45,000 euros. Last year, the subsidy ran out about halfway through the year. People who use their company cars for unlimited private use still have to pay a tax for the privilege, however the amount is capped for electric car users.