The market share of EVs in Dutch car sales has decreased in the first quarter of 2021, according to figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. The share of (plug-in) hybrids in new sales increased considerably. In Europe as a whole, the market share of EVs did increase again.
In the Netherlands it was not a very good quarter for car sales anyway. Compared to last year, 21.6 percent fewer cars were sold in the first quarter of 2021, 81,241 compared to 103,667 units. Where 8,695 new EVs were registered at the beginning of last year, that was 4,566 in the first quarter of this year. The market share of the EV thus decreases from 8.4 to 5.6 percent. The number of plug-in hybrids sold increased from 3,286 to 6,254 cars and the number of hybrids also increased: 19,190 compared to 11,527 cars. The ACEA also includes mild hybrids for the hybrids.
The most obvious reasons why the EV is losing ground in our country can probably be found in the tax domain. This year, the addition for business drivers has been increased to 12 percent. In addition, the addition benefit only applies up to a catalog value of € 40,000. For the part above that, one pays the full 22 percent. Private individuals who are in the market for a new EV can no longer benefit from a purchase subsidy because the pot for this year is already empty.
Rising
In countries such as Germany and Italy, an enormous growth is visible in EV sales, partly due to purchase subsidies. There, the number of EVs sold increased by 149 and 145.6 percent respectively. Across the European Union, 146,185 EVs were sold in the first quarter of 2021, an increase of 59.1 percent from the same period last year. That means that the market share rises from 3.7 to 5.7 percent. The plug-in hybrids take an 8.2 percent bite out of the cake (from 3.1 percent in 2020) and for hybrids the market share increased from 9.4 to 18.4 percent.
The above, of course, means that other fuel types in Europe are losing ground. Where in the first quarter of 2020 more than half of all cars sold in Europe only had a fuel engine on board, that share decreased to 42.2 percent in the first quarter of this year. Diesel is also under pressure with a market share of 23.2 percent (29.9 percent in 2020).