Sharp increase in vintage cars; 28% more classic cars with Dutch license plate

The number of vintage cars with a Dutch number plate has increased by over a quarter in five years, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported. On 1 January 2024, 217,000 classic passenger cars older than 40 years were registered in the Netherlands, 47,000 (28 percent) more than in 2019.

Almost half of the vintage cars in the Netherlands are between 40 and 50 years old. Since 2019, the number of cars between 50 and 60 years old increased the most, doubling to 84,000. The average Dutch classic car is 53 years old.

The oldest registered vintage car in the Netherlands dates from 1894. There are 661 cars in the country that are older than 100 years.

Of all the kilometers traveled by Dutch passenger cars per year, 0.2 percent are driven by vintage cars. That amounted to 274 kilometers in 2022.

The most common brand of vintage cars is Volkswagen, with about 32,000 Volkswagen classics on Dutch roads. Mercedes (21,000) follows in second place and Citroën (14,000) in third. Blue is the most common color (16.9 percent), followed by red (16.5%) and green (16.2%).

Vintage cars are most popular in Alphen-Chaam in Noord-Brabant and Opmeer in Noord-Holland, with about 41 vintage cars per 1,000 inhabitants. There are also relatively many vintage cars in Baarle-Nassau (Noord-Brabant) and Nederweert (Limburg). Diemen and Almere have the least.