Electric cars take hold in the Netherlands during September
01 November 2023
A strong month for the Netherlands’ electric vehicle market in September indicates that the country’s transition to zero-emission vehicles continues to accelerate. Jose Pontes, data director at EV-volumes.com, crunches the numbers.
Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) combined accounted for 47% of the new car market in the Netherlands in September. Highlighting how buyers are adapting to technology, 34% of the total market came from battery electric vehicle registrations.
In total, 13,916 electric vehicles were registered during the month, with the overall Dutch market improving by 17% year-on-year, with 29,855 units delivered. The strong plug-in performance was supported by battery electric vehicle powertrains, which accounted for 72% of all plug-in registrations.
Between January and September, electric vehicles captured a 43% market share, thanks to their strong performance in September. About 69% of the plug-in market was made up of all-electric models, revealing the continued adoption of this technology by both private and fleet buyers.
As uptake of electric vehicles improves, the final share in 2023 could reach around 47%, meaning that the Netherlands may end its transition to electric vehicles before the end of the decade.
EV models are taking hold
Tesla not only topped the electric car market in the Netherlands during September, but also held first place in the overall market. The Model Y received 1,784 registrations, almost double the number of second-placed Volkswagen Polo. In the top five, there were only two models, the Polo and the Kia Picanto in fourth place, that did not have any additional variant.
This suggests that although the switch to electric vehicles has come a long way in the top half of the market, the bottom still has a long way to go. Affordable electric city cars will help boost the adoption of electric vehicles in the country.
After Tesla, the Volvo XC40 is back in shape, after a period of slow growth. Of the total 673 registrations for the model, 597 were battery cars. In third place came the Kia Niro, which achieved its best monthly result since the launch of the new generation. In total, Niro registered 603 units in September, of which 583 were battery cars.
Peugeot had a strong month, with the 208 EV in fourth place thanks to 523 registrations, while the 2008 EV recorded its best result since December 2021, with 397 deliveries. Elsewhere in the Stellantis stable, the Jeep Avenger recorded its best month yet in the Netherlands, where the new model gained 12 places.y Spot thanks to 259 registrations, confirming the growing trend. The Opel Corsa EV also featured in the charts, with 196 units delivered, ranking 18thy place.
One of the highlights of this month was BMW, as the automaker’s iX1 model broke the record for registrations within one month, with 381 units. With i4 it takes 15y In position (213 units) and the iX3 at the bottom of the table (184 units), BMW was the only manufacturer to have three models in the top 20, confirming the brand’s popularity in the region.
MG also saw good results, with the ZS EV returning to the top 20 for the first time since June, with 262 registrations allowing it to gain 11 places.y place. MG4 moved up three places into eighth place, thanks to 376 deliveries. This puts the model comfortably ahead of its class rival, the VW ID.3, which had just 272 registrations in September, with 10 registrations.y. However, both were somewhat behind the Peugeot 208.
Outside the top 20, the highlights came from Mercedes-Benz. EQB posted a record 126 deliveries, while its slightly smaller sister, EQA, had its best result since 2021, with 138 deliveries. The Hyundai Kona EV also performed well, thanks to the arrival of the first units of the new generation on the market. The number of registrations of 128 is a strong result at this early stage, and it should be back on the table soon.
Mixed results for Tesla
In the first nine months of the year, the Tesla Model Y recorded nearly double the registrations of the second-place model, meaning its position at the top is likely to remain secure until the end of the year. The company benefited from a steady boost at the end of the quarter in September, which helped it take the lead, thanks to 10,301 deliveries.
The Volvo In September, the PHEV model ranked only 16thyThe Volvo XC40 surpasses it with 463 models. If this trend continues, Volvo will likely retain its runner-up position until the end of the year.
However, there may be competition from two models that have seen recent facelifts, which could see their popularity increase from October onwards. The Peugeot e-208 is the closest competitor at the moment, as it occupies fourth place in the year-to-date table with 4,886 units. This means just 962 registrations behind the Lynk & Co 01, and 1,023 registrations behind the Volvo XC40.
Meanwhile, the Tesla Model 3, currently in eighth place, may also be a contender. Although the model did not place in the top 20 during September, deliveries of the updated version will begin soon, and December could see a significant jump in registration numbers, based on the American company’s quarterly operations.
The disappearance of the Tesla Model 3 from the Top 20 table in September allowed both the Kia Niro and Ford Kuga PHEV to overtake it in year-to-date numbers. The Ford Kuga was the leading plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) model in September, and is now just 72 units ahead of Tesla in seventh place. However, deliveries of the updated Model 3 will likely address this issue in the coming months.
In the second half of the top 20 chart, there were several position changes. Thanks to its strong month, the Peugeot e-2008 rose from 14th placey To 13y place. The small crossover has morphed into the BMW i4, which now has its iX1 sibling just seven units behind it. The popular electric crossover rose one spot in September to 15thyand it could overtake its larger colleague in October, becoming the best-selling premium model on the table.
Elsewhere, the Audi Q4 e-Tron has moved up one place and now sits in 17th placey With 2,042 cars registered during the first nine months of 2023, while the MG4 also moved up one place, to 19th.y place.
Brand performance benefits
In the brand rankings, leader Tesla (11.3%, up from 11.1%) remained strong, but below it, BMW (8.4%, up from 8.3%) overtook Volvo (8.3%) in September and became the new runner-up.
The Swedish brand lost more than 1% of its market share in previous months, after taking 9.4% in June, and has now paid the price, with the German car maker leaping forward. This could be a result of customers waiting for the long-awaited new EX30 model, meaning sales of its current lineup are slowing down.
Meanwhile, Peugeot (7.1%, up from 7%) benefited from the good performance of its 208 and 2008 models to increase the distance to fifth-place Volkswagen (6.7%).
While Tesla has been a leader in most markets, the strength of the OEMs, with brands grouped under parent companies, highlights the combined strengths of the Dutch car market.
In this regard, Stellantis was at the forefront, with a 16.4% share of the electric vehicle market. While Peugeot and Jeep both performed well in September, Opel’s performance was slower in the month, invalidating the work of the others and meaning the group failed to increase its market share.
The Volkswagen Group also remained stable with a share of 15.4%, thanks to Skoda’s performance in the month, which compensated for the Volkswagen brand’s slower than usual performance.
Geely-Volvo continued its sharp decline, having fallen from 14.8% in August to the current 14.4%. While Volvo has been responsible for declines in recent months, both Polestar and Lynk & Co suffered this time in September, and the automaker is likely to suffer as buyers shift from plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) to battery electric vehicles. (BEV).
Finally, single-brand Tesla took fourth place (11.3%, up from 11.1%), distancing itself slightly from Hyundai Motor Group, which nonetheless had a positive month, with 11.1% of the Dutch EV market.
