SUV wins, convertible slowly disappears from view

New sales down sharply

By 2025, only 954 new convertibles will have been sold in the Netherlands. That amounts to only 0.25 percent of all new passenger cars sold. By comparison, in 2021 that number was still at 1,661. So in four years, sales have dropped by more than 40 percent. This is also due to the fact that automakers are producing fewer and fewer convertibles. SUVs now dominate the market and account for nearly 60 percent of new sales.

Total number also decreases

Not only are new sales declining, but the number of convertibles on the road is also decreasing. At the end of 2025, there were 243,828 convertibles registered, down from 252,008 in 2022. That represents a decline of just over three percent in three years. The share of convertibles within the total fleet dropped from 2.73 to 2.48 percent. For cars under five years old, the decline is even more marked: from 18,128 in 2021 to 9,661 in 2025, a halving in a short time.

SUVs increasingly popular

The growth of the SUV plays an important role in this development. Whereas SUVs still made up 34 percent of the young car fleet in 2021, that share now exceeds 54 percent. The convertible is thus increasingly becoming a niche model in a market that mainly opts for practical, taller cars.

According to Mirjam van der Esch of RDC, the figures show that the preference of Dutch motorists is changing. The convertible still has a regular group of enthusiasts, but fewer and fewer new models are being introduced. If this trend continues, the convertible will become less and less visible on the road in the coming years.