Half of EV drivers will opt for fuel again if benefits disappear

The acceptance of electric cars is going fast in the Netherlands, but that is largely due to the tax benefits that EV drivers receive. Because if they disappear, half of the plug-in motorists will simply opt for a fuel car again.

After 2025, the benefits that apply to electric cars will stop and owners and lease drivers will simply have to pay road tax and a higher addition. And these are a lot higher for an EV than for a comparable fuel model.

Mrb and addition higher for electric car

Electric cars are more expensive than cars with a petrol or diesel engine and are several hundred kilos heavier. The latter affects the level of the road tax. The higher price means more addition.

Half of EV drivers opt for a fuel car again

Research by the Association of Electric Drivers in collaboration with the University of Groningen shows that half of private individuals and 44 percent of business drivers will return to a fuel car if the tax benefits disappear.

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“We have never before seen that financial considerations were so important in choosing an electric car,” Maarten van Biezen of the Association of Electric Drivers told De Telegraaf.

That seems a somewhat naive comment to us, because the Dutch car market has been driven by tax benefits for years. Think of the sudden (and temporary) popularity of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and economy diesels such as the Volkswagen Polo Bluemotion.

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“The purchase price of electric cars will be lower than that of fuel cars, but that is not yet in 2025,” Van Biezen continues. “So the purchase price does not yet compensate for higher costs for mrb and addition.”

Dutch climate targets are in jeopardy

If half of the electric drivers do indeed opt for a fuel model again in 2025, the Dutch climate goals will be in jeopardy, says Van Biezen.

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The Association of Electric Drivers proposes not to include the weight of the battery in determining the motor vehicle tax and to keep the addition lower as long as the purchase price of electric cars is still higher than that of petrol and diesel vehicles.