Dutch own more cars, but still drive less since Covid pandemic

Dutch motorists drove an average of nearly 6 percent fewer kilometers last year than in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic began, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported.

Although individual motorists drove less, the total distance on Dutch roads increased due to the rise in the number of cars. Statistics Netherlands reports that nearly 122 billion kilometers were driven last year, up 2.3 percent from the year before.

The Netherlands had 9.9 million cars on the road last year, up from 9.3 million in 2019. This increase meant that, for the first time since the pandemic, total kilometers driven surpassed pre-Covid levels.

The CBS notes that “before the coronavirus pandemic, the number of kilometers driven by car grew almost every year. During the pandemic, however, distances dropped sharply, with total kilometers driven falling 17.8 percent in 2020 compared with 2019.”

Despite this decline, the number of cars continued to increase throughout the pandemic. According to Statistics Netherlands, almost 80 percent of all kilometers are driven in cars owned by private individuals.

Higher-income households are more likely to own a car and tend to drive longer distances than lower-income households.