ROTTERDAM, 5 November 2026 | Rotterdam has the lowest number of fully electric passenger cars per resident among the Netherlands' five largest municipalities. With just 14.3 fully electric cars registered per 1,000 inhabitants, the city trails Utrecht, Eindhoven, The Hague and Amsterdam. Even neighbouring Lansingerland has considerably more electric vehicles relative to its population.
The figures come from an analysis by parking technology company ParkBee, based on data from Statistics Netherlands (CBS). While electric driving continues to grow across the country, the findings reveal considerable differences between Dutch municipalities.
Rotterdam falls behind other major cities
Utrecht leads the five largest municipalities with 20.3 fully electric passenger cars per 1,000 residents, followed by Eindhoven with 17.8. The Hague and Amsterdam are closer to Rotterdam, recording 15.0 and 14.6 respectively.
That puts Utrecht approximately 42 per cent ahead of Rotterdam when measured against population size.
Fully electric passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants:
| Municipality | Cars per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|
| 1. Utrecht | 20.3 |
| 2. Eindhoven | 17.8 |
| 3. The Hague | 15.0 |
| 4. Amsterdam | 14.6 |
| 5. Rotterdam | 14.3 |
The comparison concerns fully electric passenger cars, also known as full electric vehicles (FEVs). Hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars are excluded, meaning the figures do not represent every vehicle capable of using electric power.
Do you run a business? RotterdamStyle is looking for a main sponsor. Get exclusive visibility across our website for a fixed fee. Interested? Contact us 🤝
Neighbouring Lansingerland is among the national leaders
Perhaps the most striking comparison is not with Utrecht or Amsterdam, but with Rotterdam's immediate neighbour.
Lansingerland, which includes Bergschenhoek, Berkel en Rodenrijs and Bleiswijk, records 37.1 fully electric cars per 1,000 inhabitants. That is roughly 2.6 times Rotterdam's figure, despite the two municipalities sharing a border.
Lansingerland is also among the five highest-ranking municipalities nationwide, alongside Rozendaal, Blaricum, Laren and Bloemendaal.
At the national level, Rozendaal leads with 65.9 fully electric cars per 1,000 residents, followed by Blaricum with 46.8 and Laren with 42.8.
The differences are considerable, although the figures alone cannot establish why residents of one municipality are more likely to own an electric car than residents of another. Household income, car ownership patterns, access to private parking and the availability of charging facilities may all play a role.
How does Rotterdam compare nationally?
Rotterdam's position is less extreme when compared with all Dutch municipalities rather than just the five largest.
Among municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, Maastricht has the lowest rate of fully electric passenger cars, at 10.8 per 1,000 residents. Enschede follows with 11.5, Emmen with 11.7, Groningen with 11.9 and Leiden with 13.4.
At the other end of that ranking, Haarlemmermeer leads with 29.0 fully electric cars per 1,000 residents, followed by Almere (28.3), Amersfoort (26.6), Alphen aan den Rijn (26.3) and 's-Hertogenbosch (26.1).
When all municipalities are included, Rotterdam occupies 306th place in the analysis.
Do you run a business? RotterdamStyle is looking for a main sponsor. Get exclusive visibility across our website for a fixed fee. Interested? Contact us 🤝
Rotterdam continues investing in electric charging
The relatively low number of electric cars does not mean Rotterdam has been standing still when it comes to charging infrastructure.
According to the municipality, more than 3,400 public charging stations have already been installed across the city. Rotterdam continues to expand its charging network as demand increases, including facilities for residents without private driveways or parking spaces.
The city is also working on faster charging options, shared charging facilities and smarter ways to manage electricity demand.
Rotterdam's broader ambitions extend beyond private cars. The municipality wants to make urban mobility emission-free by 2040, while also promoting cycling, walking, public transport and shared mobility.
Residents looking for information about public charging stations, tariffs and installation options can consult the municipality's electric driving information page.
Electric driving is growing across the Netherlands
The broader national picture is one of continued growth. According to Statistics Netherlands, the number of fully electric passenger cars increased by 22 per cent between the beginning of 2025 and the beginning of 2026.
Including conventional hybrids and plug-in hybrids, more than two million passenger cars in the Netherlands had an electric motor at the beginning of 2026. That represented more than one in five passenger cars nationwide.
However, the latest municipal comparisons also illustrate why national growth figures do not tell the whole story.
The number of fully electric cars registered per inhabitant does not necessarily reflect the share of electric vehicles among all cars in a municipality. Nor does it measure how frequently electric cars are driven through a particular city or how easily drivers can access charging facilities.
For Rotterdam, the figures nevertheless raise an interesting question: why is electric car ownership developing so differently in neighbouring municipalities?
With the city's charging network continuing to expand and electric vehicles becoming increasingly common nationwide, future figures will show whether Rotterdam begins closing the gap with other major Dutch cities.
