Do people in the Netherlands own cars?
Yes, the Netherlands does have cars. In fact, the country has a well-developed road network and many people use cars for transportation. However, the Netherlands is also known for its extensive cycling infrastructure and many people choose to cycle as a primary mode of transportation.
While the Netherlands has a pretty good public transport system and people here love cycling, driving your car to your destination remains quite popular. Our driving section covers everything you need to know about driving in the Netherlands - from driving licences to traffic fines.
Thanks to the efficiency of public transport, it's easy to get around without a car – expats who do choose to own a car will need to consider driving regulations, parking and taxes.
The Netherlands is known as a country of cyclists (over 22 million bikes in a nation of 17.8 million residents), but the Dutch do drive and own cars as well. The number of new cars sold in 2022 fell compared to 2021 (which was itself down on 2019).
As of January 2020, the passenger car fleet in the Netherlands stood at nearly 8.7 million. This is 1.7 percent up on one year previously.
How many cars are there in the Netherlands and how many kilometres do they travel? In 2019, 9.5 million cars with a Dutch registration number (for part of the year) were allowed onto public roads [1]. Of these, 8.3 million were registered in the name of private individuals and 1.2 million in the name of companies.
In the Netherlands, there are strict regulations with regard to alcohol and driving. It is an offense to drive with a blood alcohol level of 0.05% or in excess of this level. The regulations are even stricter for motor vehicle drivers who have been license holders for less than five years.
The Netherlands is an easy country to navigate thanks to its well-maintained roads and the short distances between cities and sightseeing destinations. While the road rules across much of Europe are relatively standardized you should brush up on the individual countries to avoid fines and offenses.
Owning a car in the Netherlands can be expensive due to high taxes, fuel costs, insurance premiums, parking fees, and maintenance expenses. Additionally, the cost of purchasing a car itself can be significant.
You are not allowed to sleep in the vehicle. Motorhome: you can apply for a parking permit for your motorhome. Even then, you cannot park it on a public road for more than 3 days. Caravan or trailer: you cannot apply for an exemption or parking permit for a caravan or trailer.
Which Dutch city is car free?
Giethoorn, The Netherlands
The only form of transportation in this charming hamlet is by boat along the waterways, which are connected with almost four miles of canals.
This is absolutely no problem. You can stay here for as long as your tourist visa lasts without having to learn Dutch. And if you speak English, you will find that many Netherlanders speak English as a second language. But if you want to live in the Netherlands, you must learn Dutch.
Netherlands October 2023: Kia and Picanto dominate in first negative market of the year. The Kia Picanto is the best-selling vehicle in the Netherlands for the third time this year. After 9 consecutive double-digit year-on-year gains, the Dutch new car market falls flat in October at -1.5% to 28,362 units.
In 2022, the average price of an upper medium passenger car from the E segment was close to 104,000 euros in the Netherlands, whereas segment A and B had average prices of 18,800 and 29,000 euros, respectively.
In 2022, the average price for a new petrol car was approximately 33,300 euros in the Netherlands. Passenger cars with hydrogen electric fuel cells were the most expensive, costing 44,400 euros on average.
The city offers a great public transport system meaning it's not really necessary to own a car. There are also lots of locals that opt to ride bicycles instead. Also, commuting to Amsterdam in a car will take you around 43 minutes, but it takes about 33 minutes via train.
The world's biggest car collection – an estimated 7,000 cars worth more than $5bn – is owned by the secretive Sultan of Brunei. It's private, so unless you're a friend of the absolute ruler of this tiny oil-rich state on the north coast of the island of Borneo, you'll never see his cars.
Motor Vehicle Sales - Passenger car sales - Ranking. China is the top country by car sales in the world. As of 2022, car sales in China was 23.6 million units that accounts for 41.78% of the world's car sales.
The best-selling car in the Netherlands, considering YTD data up to August 2023, is the Tesla Model Y -up 72 spots- with 8,516 sales (+840.0%), followed by the Peugeot 208, with 7,587 new registrations (+13.5%).
The total sales volume of passenger cars in the Netherlands fluctuated mainly between 356,000 and 550,000 from 2010 to 2020. The highest volume was reached in 2011 with 555,920 volumes sold, the lowest in 2020 with just over 356,000.
How many cars are sold in the Netherlands each year?
| Year | Sales |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 443,531 |
| 2019 | 446,057 |
| 2020 | 357,996 |
| 2021 | 324,336 |
What side of the road do they drive on in the Netherlands? Unlike in the UK, motorists drive on the right-hand side of the road in the Netherlands and overtake on the left – which can take some adjustment if you're used to driving on the left.
In the Netherlands, and many other countries in the European Union, the legal age for purchasing alcoholic beverages is 18 years. By checking the “I am 18 years or older”-checkbox, you declare that, at the time of purchase, you are 18 years or older, and thus above the Dutch age limit for legal alcohol consumption.
Legal Driving Age in NL
You must be at least 18 years of age to drive a car in the Netherlands. However, there is one exception: 17-year-olds who already have a driver's license can drive accompanied by an adult. The adult must have been officially registered as their 'accompanier', or 'begeleider' in Dutch.
The general limit on motorways is 130 km/h. In addition, there are other time- and place-dependent limits of 80, 100 and 120 km/h. Since March 2020, the daytime (06:00-19:00 h) limit has been restricted to 100 km/h for all motorways. There are some other limits (70 km/h and 90 km/h), but these apply far less often.
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