Netherlands residents using their cars more, but still less than pre-pandemic

Dutch motor vehicles, excluding motorcycles and scooters, drove a total of 143.8 billion kilometers in the Netherlands and abroad last year. That is 7 percent more than in 2021 but still less than pre-coronavirus 2019’s 150.1 billion kilometers, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported.

The kilometers traveled by buses and passenger cars rose the most, by 8.6 and 8.4 percent, respectively. Despite this increase, these vehicles still drove less than before the pandemic. Vans and heavy freight vehicles topped their 2019 kilometers in 2021 and 2022.

Dutch passenger cars collectively covered 114.3 billion kilometers, accounting for 79 percent of all kilometers traveled. The increase was strongest for cars registered in companies’ names at 16.9 percent. Individual cars drove 6.4 percent more than in 2021. Both groups showed a strong increase in kilometers traveled by plug-in cars - fully electric and hybrid cars covered 55.7 percent more kilometers in 2022 than in 2021. That is partly because the number of plug-in cars increased significantly.

Dutch buses drove a total of 544 million kilometers in 2022. Scheduled buses traveled 403 million kilometers, and coaches over 141 million kilometers. The kilometers covered by coaches increased by a massive 82.8 percent compared to 2021 when tourism was still severely restricted due to the coronavirus pandemic. “Because coaches from a tiny part of the Dutch fleet, their kilometers traveled, despite the strong increase, still only accounted for 0.1 percent of the kilometers traveled by all Dutch motor vehicles together,” CBS said.