You will pay this bizarre amount of tax for an electric car from 2026

Do the Dutch drive an electric car because the environment is so important to them? No, it’s the financial advantages that convince people. Financial advantages that will no longer exist in 2026, because from then on electric drivers will have to pay vehicle tax. And good too.

You do not currently pay road tax for an electric car. If you are a professional driver, you benefit from a lower surcharge. The government has created a subsidy for private individuals.

Funding for electric cars is already significantly lower

This subsidy was gradually reduced for new cars from initially 4,000 euros to now 2,950 euros. And you can tell by the enthusiasm for it. At the time of writing, the pot of 67 million euros is only a third empty. In other years it was much more difficult.

In 2026 the fun is over and the electric car loses its privileges. Although users will have to pay vehicle tax from 2025, they will still receive a discount of 75 percent this year. Not the following year.

The road tax for electric vehicles is quite high

We are curious to see whether the cabinet’s climate targets can then still be achieved, because the step back to petrol cars will then be very attractive for many Dutch people. The road tax for an electric vehicle is exploding.

400 to 500 euros difference to the petrol engine

This mainly has to do with the high weight of an electric car. A government calculation example states that the MRB for a petrol Volkswagen Golf in the province of Utrecht is 624 euros per year. You lost no less than 1112 euros for an electric Volkswagen ID.3.

Two more examples. A Renault Clio will cost you 524 euros a year, a Renault Zoe 916 euros. If we go a few segments higher, we end up with the Mazda 6 and the Tesla Model 3, for which the tax authorities want more than 800 and 1200 euros per year respectively.

Owning an electric car is becoming increasingly expensive

Can the higher vehicle tax be offset by lower maintenance costs and the fact that charging is cheaper than refueling? Meh, not really. With a mileage of 15,000 kilometers a year, an electric car is always a few tens to almost 200 euros more expensive to buy and use, the government calculates.

Marina Helvoort from the Electric Drivers Association believes there is still a need for financial support for electric drivers, reports De Telegraaf. Of course, that’s partly preaching to her own congregation, but she’s right, especially since electric cars are still so expensive to buy.