Hyundai Kona EV Jumps To #2 In Hot Netherlands EV Market — CleanTechnica EV Sales Report

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The Dutch plug-in electric vehicle market started 2019 on fire, as January had 3,271 plug-in vehicle (PEV) registrations. That was a doubling in sales year over year (YoY) and translated into a PEV market share of 6.9%! … And this is before the official landing of the Tesla Model 3. But more on that later.

Editor’s note: The first customer Model 3s just arrived in the Netherlands this morning (or yesterday if you are actually in the Netherlands). If you have bought one (or a Model S or Model X) before February 2 but didn’t use a referral code for 6–9 months of free Supercharging, you can still use my referral code — http://ts.la/tomasz7234 — to get that bonus/discount.

Just send an email to buildmy3EMEA@tesla.com with the word “Referral” in the subject line. Put your name, contact information, reservation number (starts with RN), and the referral code you’d like to use in the body of the email.

This good market performance was the result of several strong individual results, starting with the best seller of the month, the VW e-Golf, which scored 653 registrations. That repeats the good start of 2018. The fully electric e-Golf now represents one third of all VW Golf deliveries in the Netherlands, second only to the e-Golf’s share in Norway.

But the surprise of the month was the Kona EV (where have we heard this one before?). The Kona EV had a record 536 registrations in January 2019, or 79% of all Kona deliveries in this market. Plus, there are still a few thousand orders waiting to be fulfilled. The Korean crossover is presenting itself as the strongest candidate for the silver medal this year, behind the Tesla Model 3 of course. But more on this last one in a few moments…

The Nissan Leaf was 3rd, with 396 deliveries, keeping the previous year’s good pace, while the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV surprised everyone by gaining 322 deliveries, its best result since 2016 — already giving the Outlander PHEV a precious advantage over the rest of the PHEV competition in the race for the 2019 edition of the category trophy.

Without the shackles of battery constraints, the Renault Zoe and Hyundai Ioniq Electric continue racking up higher and higher sales. The French hatchback hit a record 237 registrations in January, for example. Yet another South Korean, the Kia Niro EV, is already in the top 10, with 155 deliveries in the first month of the year.

Outside the top 10, the Land Rover siblings scored close to 100 deliveries in one month — not only a new record, but also representing 90% of both nameplates’ total deliveries.

Last, but definitely not least, the Tesla Model 3 showed up in the #13 position, with 40 deliveries. Yes, those were surely demonstration units that were distributed across Europe for test drives. With some 3,000 finalized orders said to be made already in the Netherlands, the Californian midsizer is sure to take the 2019 Best Selling EV title, and probably also the Best Selling Midsizer prize (of any powertrain).

As an introduction to the Model 3’s fossil-fueled opponents, here are the current best selling midsizers: Volvo S/V60 (747 units), BMW 3 Series (424), and Mercedes C-Class (298).

Outside the top 20, a mention goes out to the BMW i8, which had 12 registrations. That managed to beat the Porsche 911 (10 units) and lost only to the Mercedes-AMG GT (13) in the sports car class.

In the manufacturer ranking, Hyundai started the year in the lead, with a 21% share of the plug-in vehicle market. Hyundai was closely followed by Volkswagen (20%), while Nissan (12%) completed the positions on the podium. In 4th was Mitsubishi (10%), in case you’re curious.

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Plugins & Hybrids

Rank	Model	January Sales
1	VW e-Golf	653
2	Hyundai Kona EV	536
3	Kia Niro HEV	452
4	Toyota Yaris Hybrid	416
5	Nissan Leaf	396

Source: RAI Vereniging. Hybrids in italics.

Comparing this ranking with January 2018, there are significant changes. Back then, the best selling plug-in (VW e-Golf) was 3rd, with only one other plugin (Hyundai Ioniq Electric) present in the top 5.

Now, it’s the other way around. The best selling hybrid (Kia Niro HEV) is only 3rd, with only one other hybrid (Yaris) among the top 5.

How the tables have turned. … Hear that, Toyota?

Rank	Model	January Sales	PEV Market Share
1	VW e-Golf	653	20%
2	Hyundai Kona EV	536	16%
3	Nissan Leaf	396	12%
4	Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV	322	10%
5	Renault Zoe	237	7%
6	Hyundai Ioniq Electric	168	5%
7	Kia Niro EV	155	5%
8	Volvo XC60 PHEV	140	4%
9	BMW i3	112	3%
10	Opel Ampera-e	83	3%
11	Land Rover Range Rover Sport PHEV	61	2%
12	Volvo XC90 PHEV	51	2%
13	Tesla Model 3	40	1%
14	Land Rover Range Rover PHEV	37	1%
15	BMW 530e	35	1%
16	Mini Countryman PHEV	28	1%
16	Smart Forfour ED	28	1%
18	Porsche Panamera PHEV	23	1%
19	Jaguar I-PACE	15	0%
20	Kia Soul EV	14	0%
+	Others	137	4%
ALL	TOTAL	3,271	100%

Source: RAI Vereniging. Plug-in hybrids in italics.