1 in 3 cars registered this year is an EV: “Plenty of cheaper models coming onto the market”

In the first quarter of this year, 40 per cent more electric cars were registered than during the same period last year. 1 in 3 cars registered since the beginning of January is fully electric. Although petrol cars still remain the largest group among new registrations industry federation Febiac says.

‘The market is going to become completely electric,’ Filip Rylant of mobility organisation Traxio points out. "Not just in terms of new cars, but gradually also the entire fleet. In Belgium, there are about 6 million new cars. At the moment, just over 10 per cent of them are electric. By 2030-2035 that will be more than a third."

The vast majority of these electric cars are company cars or salary cars. Only 1 in 10 electric cars were purchased by private individuals. But that could change in the coming years.

‘We see plenty of low-cost models coming onto the market, which also appeal to private individuals,’ says Philippe Vangeel of the Electric Mobility Federation. That increased supply means prices are falling.

Number of charging points also rising

With the number of plug-in cars increasing, the number of charging points is also catching up. According to Traxio, there are now 84,000 public charging points in Belgium, compared to 48,000 at the end of 2023.

Speed at charging stations is also improving. ‘We see that charging speeds are improving enormously, that a pee break is almost too short,’ Philippe Vangeel says.