Drenthe offers cheapest used cars, Noord-Holland the most expensive
The price of a used car in the Netherlands varies significantly by province. Drenthe is the cheapest, with an average price of just under 24,000 euros, while Noord-Holland is the most expensive, at nearly 33,000 euros. This amounts to a difference of almost 9,000 euros between the cheapest and most expensive provinces, according to the AD.
According to AutoTrack expert Tim Roks, the price difference is mainly due to the composition of the market. In Noord-Holland, more than 75 percent of used cars have fewer than 100,000 kilometers on the odometer, while in Drenthe that figure is only 52 percent.
The biggest difference is seen in cars with high mileage. In Drenthe, more than 25 percent of used cars have 150,000 kilometers or more, while in Noord-Holland, this is less than 10 percent. Since mileage is an important factor in asking prices, average prices in Drenthe are lower.
Research by Gaspedaal.nl confirms this effect: cars with 110,000 kilometers on the odometer are, on average, nearly 20 percent cheaper than comparable cars with 100,000 kilometers. This sometimes makes it attractive to consider a used car with slightly higher mileage.
Most AutoTrack users limit their search radius to a maximum of 50 kilometers, accounting for nearly three-quarters of all searches with a distance filter. Only a small portion (less than 7 percent) searches up to 100 kilometers away. As a result, many buyers may be missing out on attractive deals.
It was proven in the research that it can be worthwhile to search outside one’s own province. For example, a 2021 Volkswagen Golf with a petrol engine and automatic transmission is on average more than 6,000 euros cheaper in Friesland than in Noord-Holland. Those willing to travel 120 kilometers could save thousands of euros.
