‘Perfect storm’
Private leasing of a car will become considerably more expensive in 2022. The average monthly amount for concluding a private lease contract increased by 17.2 percent last year. In 2021 there was also relatively strong price growth (plus 6.5 percent). This appears from new figures from Statistics Netherlands.
The rates for private leasing have risen sharply in 2022. The average monthly amount went up by 17.2 percent, according to the provisional figures of Statistics Netherlands. Prices increased considerably, especially in the second half of the year. Where Q1 and Q2 of 2022 showed price increases of 11.1 and 16 percent respectively, in Q3 and Q4 those were increases of 20.4 and 21.3 percent.
An overview by colleague Joost Boers shows what that means in practice. Since February 2022, he has checked and recorded the private lease rates for a limited number of models. This shows that the differences between the rates in February 2022 and January 2023 are considerable for many models. In the table below you will find some examples.
The rates are starting prices, always based on the same conditions.
| Fashion model | Private lease rate February 2022 | Private lease rate January 2023 | Increase (rounded) |
| Mitsubishi Spacestar | 219 | 289 | +32% |
| Kia Picanto | 229 | 269 | +17% |
| Suzuki Swift | 261 | 314 | +20% |
| Dacia Duster | 359 | 419 | +17% |
| Opel Mocha | 359 | 428 | +19% |
| Citroen ë-C4 | 399 | 484 | +21% |
| Fiat 500e | 299 | 420 | +40% |
| Peugeot e-208 | 339 | 399 | +18% |
| MG ZS | 449 | 489 | +9% |
Causes and prognosis
When asked about the reasons for the rate increase, Wilbert Philippo, founder of leasecompareer.nl, uses the words ‘the perfect storm’. There were several circumstances that all contributed to the rate increase. “It started with the scarcity of cars (due to corona, shortages, logistical problems, ed.). This caused manufacturers to raise their prices. In addition, leasing companies often received substantial discounts from dealers, but due to the scarcity, these were also almost completely lost. In addition, you had inflation and the interest rate increase.”
It is therefore expected that the price increase will continue, although it will probably not be as strong as last year. After all, the disappearance of the discounts has already happened and the scarcity also seems to play a less important role in 2023. However, relatively high inflation will continue for the time being (which will cause prices to rise no matter what) and interest rates could just go up further, resulting in a further rate increase. “On the other hand, the demand for private lease contracts has decreased somewhat, which may have a dampening effect on the price,” Philippo adds. “That is thanks to the price increases and the news about the economy. After all, you are entering into a financial obligation for a longer period, and not everyone is waiting for that now.”
Business leasing is also much more expensive
Business lease rates also rose sharply in 2022, although according to Statistics Netherlands figures, the increase was not as strong as that of private lease rates. Business lease rates rose by 8 percent, where it was still 1.9 percent in 2021. Statistics Netherlands distinguishes between petrol, diesel and electric cars for business leases, but there appears to be virtually no difference between them. The rate increase was about the same for both EVs and conventionally powered cars.
We are curious: have you oriented yourself towards a new (private) lease car in the past year and did you notice the rates? We would like to see examples of price increases for specific models in the comments below this article.
.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl