The Netherlands car market is finding its footing again after a slow first half, and the Tesla Model Y ended up on top of the whole thing. Tesla highlighted the new data earlier today on X.
New figures from Dutch industry groups BOVAG and RAI Vereniging show 39,015 new passenger vehicles hit the road in June 2026. That is up 13.4 per cent from the same month last year, and it comes right after a small bump in May. Two months of gains in a row suggests showroom traffic is picking back up after a quiet winter.
The monthly numbers look good, but the year as a whole is still running behind. Dealerships registered 174,789 new cars between January and June, down 4.2 per cent from the 182,375 sold over the same stretch in 2025. A few things dragged on the first half: financing is still expensive, new cars keep getting pricier, and a steady flow of cheap, lightly used imports from neighbouring countries has been pulling buyers away from the new-car lots.
That said, order books are starting to fill up again. Dealer promotions are part of it, and so are looming changes to the tax rules for business drivers, which are nudging more people to buy sooner rather than later.
Powertrain-wise, hybrids are still doing most of the heavy lifting. They took 53.9 per cent of the market in the first six months with 94,258 registrations. Fully electric cars held a 36.5 per cent share on 63,776 registrations, and June was a standout month for them specifically, with EVs accounting for more than 44 per cent of everything sold.
Kia led all brands over the half with 16,605 registrations, ahead of Toyota and Volkswagen.
The model race came down to the wire. The Tesla Model Y edged out the whole field for the first half of 2026 with 4,317 registrations, squeaking past the gas-powered Toyota Aygo X by just three cars at 4,314. Among pure EVs the Model Y had a lot more breathing room, sitting comfortably ahead of the new Kia EV3 and the Škoda Elroq to stay the go-to electric pick for Dutch buyers.
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