Over 10 million cars registered in Netherlands for first time
The Netherlands’ car fleet has officially surpassed 10 million passenger vehicles for the first time, data from Kenteken.tv show. The milestone was reached on Sunday, August 17, as the total number of vehicles registered in the European M1 category — commonly referred to as passenger cars — exceeded 10 million.
“Normally, even on Sundays, more than two vehicles are added net, so the 10 million mark was crossed yesterday,” Jasper Verweij of Kenteken.tv, told AD, citing figures from the RDW, the national vehicle registration authority. On Saturday evening, the counter read 9,999,998.
The average Dutch passenger car is now 12.2 years old, the oldest in Western Europe. Vehicle brands are led by Volkswagen, Toyota, Opel, Peugeot, and Renault in the top five, followed by Ford, Kia, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo rounding out the top ten.
Historically, 2011 dominated as a top registration year due to government incentives, such as road tax exemptions, which boosted small car sales. Among imported vehicles, 2021 currently ranks as the most popular year.
The fleet’s growth is concentrated in cars built in 2018 and 2019, which account for 541,653 and 541,782 vehicles respectively. “A few months ago 2019 was higher, but export and import have balanced the numbers between these two years,” Verweij explained to AD.
Vehicles have also grown significantly heavier, a trend reportedly influenced by added safety features, the rise of SUVs, and battery packs for hybrid and fully electric cars.
