Dutch people buy old cars in droves, this model in particular

Dutch people buy old cars in droves, this model in particular


More and more old cars have been registered, according to figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Compared to five years ago, 28 percent more current trending classics have been added.

It’s no wonder that vintage cars are in demand. Vehicles that are 40 years old or older are exempt from road tax. However, this is about to change. In addition, the classics can often be insured for less. Maintenance and fuel costs are often high. But you also get something in return: a special car.

Old cars popular among Dutch people

Although that doesn’t really make sense. Not every classic car is special. Volkswagen vintage cars are the most popular among Dutch people. About 15 percent of all old cars in our country are VWs. The structure in question cannot be found in the CBS data. The answer to that question is obvious: Cockroaches.

Volkswagen Beetle, beetle, oldtimer, Dutch, oldtimers
The Volkswagen Beetle is the most famous classic car in the Netherlands. (Photo: Volkswagen)

Apart from Volkswagen, Mercedes and Citroën are also common car brands that are often encountered. The German brand has about 21,000 vintage cars on license plates, Citroën closes the top 3 with about 14,000 copies.

The oldest classics

At the beginning of 2024, 47,000 more old cars were registered in the Netherlands than in 2019. The table shows a significant increase. Very old cars are in high demand. The number of classics between 50 and 60 years has doubled in the last five years to 84,000 registered classics.

Dutch people with a classic car collectively drove around 274 million kilometers in their classic style. Only 0.2 percent of all Dutch kilometers are driven by old cars. In the Netherlands, passenger cars drive 114.4 billion kilometers per year.

Classic car adventures 2024: this is where you need to be

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