Parking, road tax, maintenance: car ownership is most expensive in these Dutch cities

How expensive is a car per year?

On average, you spend about nine grand a year in the Netherlands to own and use a car. This is calculated on a driving distance of 11,000 km per year and includes everything from fuel to maintenance to parking costs and road tax. So driving a car in the Netherlands is not a cheap hobby, but in some cities it really is a luxury.

Utrecht and Amsterdam

Those who live in Utrecht or Amsterdam sometimes have to pay heavily. Utrecht is the most expensive city with an average cost of 10,019 euros per year, followed by Amsterdam with 10,002 euros per year. Parking costs are the big culprit here. In Amsterdam, for example, you pay more than 600 euros per year for a parking permit, while in some cities it is simply free.

Breda

Take Breda, for example. Here the annual cost is 8863 euros, over a thousand euros less than in Utrecht. The first parking permit here is free, so you don’t have to take out an extra mortgage right away to put your car in front of your door.

Parking

You would think that fueling or charging is the biggest expense, but parking can secretly cost quite a bit. In Amsterdam and Utrecht, according to the study, you pay an average of 780 euros a year in parking costs if you park for two hours every week. In Heerlen, you spend only 104 euros per year for exactly the same parking duration.

How much of your income goes on your car?

Not only does the total amount matter, but also what percentage of your income goes on your car. In Groningen, the car takes the biggest bite out of the salary: 36.28% of a Groninger’s average annual income disappears on maintenance, fuel and other costs. In Breda this is the lowest, at 28.54%.

The image below lists all the figures.