Dutch diesel cars fall to 560,000 as resale demand weakens
Dutch diesel cars now number about 560,000, down from nearly 1.4 million a decade ago. Higher fuel prices and weak buyer demand put pressure on owners considering a sale.
Diesel now costs more than petrol at recommended prices, while sellers face little interest from businesses buying used cars.
Dutch diesel cars now number around 560,000, as higher fuel prices weigh on an already shrinking market. Nearly 1.4 million diesel passenger cars ran on roads in the Netherlands ten years ago. Meanwhile, owners trying to sell face weak buyer demand.
New diesel passenger cars are barely selling. Used models also attract little interest, despite plenty of vehicles coming onto the market. The figures and interviews appear in reporting by NOS, the Dutch public broadcaster.
Car-selling brokerage owner Niels Oude Luttikhuis described the change bluntly. His business connects private sellers with companies that buy cars.
“Die markt is echt geïmplodeerd”, Oude Luttikhuis said.
His account points to a gap between supply and demand. Sellers offer plenty of diesels, but businesses show little interest in buying them. However, the report gives no average resale price or typical waiting time.
Diesel loses its fuel-price advantage
The recommended diesel price stands at about €2.77 per litre. Petrol, also called gasoline, costs about €2.71 per litre on the same basis. Diesel therefore costs roughly six cents more per litre.
Before the war began in late February, the price balance looked different. Recommended diesel prices stood at around €2.03 per litre, against €2.26 for petrol. At that point, diesel offered a saving of roughly 23 cents per litre.
For example, a 50-litre diesel fill now costs €138.50 at the recommended price. The same volume of petrol costs €135.50. Before the war, those amounts would have been €101.50 and €113 respectively.
That means the example diesel fill has risen by €37. By comparison, the petrol fill has risen by €22.50. These calculations use the reported prices, rather than prices at any specific filling station.
Bovag, the Dutch automotive industry association, says driving a diesel is becoming less financially attractive. The changed pump-price balance removes a familiar benefit for drivers covering long distances.
A smaller fleet and a difficult resale market
The diesel passenger-car fleet has fallen by roughly 840,000 vehicles over a decade. That amounts to a decline of about 60%, based on the rounded totals. Still, fleet size and resale demand measure different things.
The fleet total describes how many diesel passenger cars remain on Dutch roads. The brokerage’s account describes current interest from business buyers. Together, they show a smaller market in which sellers now face limited demand.
What this means for people living in the Netherlands
This change most directly affects diesel owners and people considering a used diesel. It also matters to drivers who chose diesel for frequent, long journeys.
For diesels, road tax in the Netherlands is usually higher than for a comparable petrol car.
