Car sales figures 2023: the winners and losers

The 2023 car sales figures

According to official figures from RAI Association, BOVAG and RDC, in 2023, 369,791 new passenger cars will be registered, up 19 percent from the previous year. In the last month of this year, 26,577 new cars were registered, down 14 percent from the same month in 2022.

Nearly 70 percent of cars still run on gasoline

The forecast for 2023 was fixed at 340,000. That target was more than met. The growth is largely due to a catch-up of deferred deliveries from 2022. After catching up in the first few months, the market normalized toward the end of the year. The most registered brand in 2023 in the Netherlands is Volkswagen, which ranked second last year. The most sold model in 2023 is the Tesla Model Y. Of total new sales, 1.1% were diesel, 30.4% gasoline 37.1% hybrid and 30.8% electric. You read it right: nearly 70 percent of all newly registered still have just a gasoline engine on board.

Auto sales forecast 2024

For this year, RAI Association and BOVAG expect a total of 360,000 cars to be registered. For now, it remains to be seen how incentives and subsidies will affect the demand and purchase of electric cars among private and business buyers. Furthermore, economic developments play an important role.

Bert de Kroon, president BOVAG-Autodealers, points to the current recession, high interest rates and rising labor costs. “The market is normalizing, but the numbers still lag behind at 360,000. With higher costs, we are facing a different time than in recent years. For customers, however, there are plenty of opportunities again: stocks have been replenished, at least for the car-buying consumer there are now plenty of opportunities and also without long delivery times.”

The 5 most registered brands in 2023:

1. Volkswagen (34,958 registrations with 9.5 percent market share)
2. Kia (33,504 registrations with 9.1 percent market share)
3. Toyota (25,576 registrations with 6.9 percent market share)
4. BMW (20,529 registrations with 5.6 percent market share)
5. Skoda (20,498 registrations with 5.5 percent market share)

The 5 most registered models in 2023:

1. Tesla Model Y (13,758 registrations with 3.7 percent market share)
2. Kia Picanto (10,530 registrations with 2.8 percent market share)
3. Peugeot 208 (9,007 registrations with 2.4 percent market share)
4. Volvo XC40 (8,323 registrations with 2.3 percent market share)
5. Kia Niro (7,412 registrations with 2 percent market share)

The 5 most-registered EV models in 2023: 

1. Tesla Model Y (13,758 registrations with 12.1 percent market share in electric market)
2. Volvo XC40 (6,342 registrations with 5.6 percent market share in electric market)
3. Peugeot 208 (5,584 registrations with 4.9 percent market share in electric market)
4. Tesla Model 3 (5,058 registrations with 4.4 percent market share in electric market)
5. Skoda Enyaq (4,715 registrations with 4.1 percent market share in electric market)

Car sales figures 2023: the winners and losers