The Dutch government wants everyone to switch from a gasoline car to an electric car as soon as possible. Yet many Dutch people seem to be absolutely not waiting for that yet.
The European Union mandates that only electric cars be sold starting in 2035. The Netherlands itself wants to be climate neutral by 2050, so it wants everyone to switch from gasoline to electric driving. Yet that doesn’t seem to be getting off the ground at all.
The electric car is no longer popular
If you buy an electric car up to 45,000 euros you get a 2,950 euro subsidy. With this the government is trying to encourage everyone to switch to an electric model instead of gasoline. However, many people are not getting hot about this. In fact, according to NOS, there is little enthusiasm for the subsidy. Fewer and fewer people are making use of it.
The fact that people are not switching to the electric car actually has two reasons. First, there is the purchase price. Electric vehicles are still considerably more expensive than regular gasoline cars. Especially if you want a range that can match a gasoline-powered car, you have to spend a lot more money. Often over 45,000 euros, which means you can whistle for subsidies.
Road tax unattractive
There is also another reason and it has to do with the future. Until 2024 you don’t have to pay road tax if you have an electric car. This will probably change in 2025, because the outgoing cabinet wants to scrap this tax benefit. This is because the treasury will lose a lot of money if gasoline cars are replaced by electric models.
The ANWB is calling on the cabinet to take action. According to the organization, the Netherlands is lagging behind foreign countries. The French, for example, receive 5,000 euros in subsidies when buying an electric car. Germans get as much as 7,000 euros.
Electric driving (Image: Martin Katler/Unsplash)
In addition, the ANWB hopes that the motor vehicle tax exemption will remain. How much tax you pay for your car in 2025 will be determined based on its weight. Electric vehicles are often considerably heavier than gasoline cars because of the battery. That means you will soon pay considerably more tax for an electric car than for a regular gasoline car. Something that does not help to stimulate sales. So that too will have to be looked at.
