In the first month of the new year, 44.303 new passenger cars were registered. That is a 6,1 percent decrease in car sales compared to January 2019 (47.164 units). This is evident from the official figures of RAI Vereniging, BOVAG and RDC. BOVAG and RAI Association expect that 2020 new cars will be registered throughout 425.000.

The decrease in the number of car sales and registrations is visible in the segment petrol, diesel and electric cars (EV). The low number of new EVs that were registered in January was caused by the boom in number plate registrations in the last months of 2019. 

Business EV buyers anticipated the changed tax rules as of January 1, and dealers and leasing companies also stocked up, so that they can continue to provide customers with cars with lower additional tax liability in the near future. Since 1 January, the tax addition for the private use of electric cars for business drivers has changed from 4 percent over the first 50.000 euros of the consumer recommended price to 8 percent over the first 45.000 euros. 

In total, 1.901 new EV car sales were registered last January, compared to 2.497 in January 2019 and even 22.758 in December 2019. RAI Association and BOVAG expect more than 50.000 new EVs to be registered this year. The popularity of (plug-in) hybrid cars last month is striking. Compared to January last year, the number of registered cars in this segment more than doubled, from 2.873 to 5.865 units.

Also read: Volkswagen's best-selling car in the past year

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