The coalition agreement of the new cabinet contains the broad outlines that the government wants to implement during the term of office. The NCS, BBB, PVV and VVD have big plans, which mainly revolve around a balance between sustainability and affordability. Many of the points in the new coalition agreement have direct or indirect consequences for people who (want to) drive electric. That is why we have collected a number of important points below that have to do with making the vehicle fleet more sustainable and what the government plans to do.
End of subsidies from 2025 for new and used electric cars
There has been a subsidy for the purchase of new or used electric cars for quite some time. This subsidy was intended to make the switch to an electric car both easier and more attractive, but the new cabinet has decided that this pot is now really empty. From 2025 there will be no more subsidies for people who want to buy an electric car, because all these rules will go straight into the trash.
This will significantly increase the purchase price of an electric car from 2025, unless dealers and car manufacturers decide to make the switch themselves more attractive for people looking for a new car.
Still tax benefits for EV drivers
However, the government wants to continue to encourage electric driving, and that is why it has been decided to maintain the tax benefits. The weight correction, an important item on the EV driver's agenda, will remain. This means that the often much heavier electric car will receive a correction due to the (fully) electric drive and will therefore have to pay less road tax in proportion. If this had not been the case, the road tax of almost every EV would have been higher than that of cars with a combustion engine, while the EV should actually be preferred with a view to CO2 reduction.
But what about the additional tax and the possibilities to use tax benefits as a business driver? Nothing is specified about this in the coalition agreement. We assume that the additional tax will be phased out from 2025 to the rate (21%) that is currently charged for cars with a combustion engine. Previous plans stated that this would be done in two years from 2025.
Electric drivers must contribute fairly to make the future possible
The coalition agreement is a balance between sustainability and affordability, something that was in line with expectations. After all, the many benefits and subsidies for the electric car had to come from somewhere and now it is time to restore the balance. The idea is that the electric driver must contribute fairly to make sustainability possible in the future. That idea is not so strange, since the average electric car is about 400 to 1000 kilograms heavier than the average petrol or diesel car. Add to that the higher torque of electric cars and it is clear that they place a greater burden on the asphalt.
At the same time, sustainability still reigns supreme. The cleaner electric car remains one of the government's biggest goals, which is also the direct reason behind the tax benefits. This is also not surprising, because the next government (if it stays in office for four years) will have to bridge the largest part of the transition phase to 2030.
What is important to add is that this concerns the main points of the coalition agreement and that this can still be changed considerably. Before a coalition agreement becomes a legislative amendment, a great many steps are needed and the opposition has already indicated that it is not satisfied with the plans.
From 2030, only electric cars will still be available at dealers
2030 is the year in which all newly registered cars must be electric and the combustion engine will no longer be found at dealers. That sounds far away, but 2030 is less than 5.5 years away at the time of writing, which means that we do not rule out adjustments from the government.
The sustainability of the vehicle fleet is still on the agenda, but the benefits are slowly but surely being phased out by the government because affordability must now ensure that sustainability remains possible from the government. The expectation is that this will first ensure a rapid increase in the sustainability of the vehicle fleet until 2025, to then be slowed down (probably briefly).
This short-term brake also has to do with the coalition agreement. The cabinet is looking at the possibilities of postponing the zero-emission zones. Municipalities will most likely get more time to set up these zones, which means that smaller companies will have more time to switch to an emission-free car. Thanks to the postponement, these companies can still (temporarily) go to their customers or premises with a petrol or diesel car and will have a little more time to purchase the electric car (although now without subsidy).
What does this mean for the current automotive market?
The elimination of the subsidy has a direct negative impact on the electric car market in the Netherlands. Especially for used (second-hand) electric cars, because the subsidies here were proportionally much heavier than the subsidies on new electric cars. At the same time, we expect a significant increase in the supply of used electric cars, because many lease contracts expire in the coming months and many people will switch to a new electric car before 2025 (before the subsidy disappears).
However, it is also expected that dealers and car manufacturers will respond to the developments and start thinking about the possibilities of setting up promotions and offers to make the electric car more interesting for people looking for a car.
A sharp increase in the number of electric cars that will be driven away from dealers is expected in the coming months. For the time being, no subsidies and benefits have been scrapped, because this will not happen until 2025. This means that this is an excellent time to look at a second-hand or new electric car so that you can still benefit. It is also wise to look for a charging station and charging cables in good time to be able to charge at home. If many people suddenly switch to electric driving, this means that it can take longer to find an electrician to install the charging station. However, if you are there in time, there is a good chance that you can avoid these problems and you can also be sure that no delivery problems will arise that could throw a spanner in the works.
Would you like one of our specialists to take a look with you or do you have questions about one of our charging stations or other charging solutions? Please contact us so that we can personally help you further.
