Electric cars are very popular and we see more and more of them on the road. Every year, the government makes a subsidy budget available for people who want to purchase an electric car. The subsidy comes on top of other financial benefits for private individuals who drive fully electrically, such as the motor vehicle tax exemption MRB and the purchase tax exemption on passenger cars and motorcycles BPM. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency announced that the subsidy budget in 2022 for the Subsidy Scheme for Private Electric Passenger Cars (SEPP) has recently been oversubscribed. This means that more money has been requested than is available this year. In total, more than 21.000 new electric cars were purchased with a subsidy in 2022.
People who want to buy an electric car this year are unlucky and do not receive a subsidy, they will have to wait until next year when the pot is filled again. The subsidy budget for new electric passenger cars for 2023 is 67 million euros. The subsidy budget for used electric passenger cars is 32,4 million euros for 2023. Despite all the financial advantages, there is still a threshold for many people to switch to an electric car. Environmental organization Nature&Environment says that research shows that people consider the high purchase price of an electric car the biggest barrier they encounter. The range and monthly costs also play a major role when purchasing an electric car.
