Belgium captures fourth place in global ranking for EV maturity
Belgium ranks fourth in the ranking of most mature countries for electric driving, with a score of 70/100. This is according to an international analysis conducted by Ayvens, the largest European leasing and mobility player. Belgium achieves this position due to its wide range of unique electric models and lower mileage costs compared to petrol vehicles. However, there is still room for improvement in the adoption of electric vehicles on the road and the number of public charging points in Belgium.
Every year, Ayvens maps the maturity of 47 countries in terms of EV adoption. In the latest Mobility Guide, Belgium gets a score of 70/100, giving us a shared fourth place with Luxembourg. Norway, the Netherlands and Finland are ahead of Belgium. This international analysis is based on criteria such as the adoption of electric cars, charging infrastructure, taxation and regulations, the supply of rechargeable vehicles, TCO (total cost of ownership) and the impact on sustainability.
Electric cars: a financial advantage
There is a slight cost difference per kilometre between electric vehicles and combustion engine vehicles. For electric vehicles, the cost is €0.37 per kilometre, while combustion engines cost on average €0.40 per kilometre. These costs are calculated for a period of 48 months and a distance of 120,000 kilometres. That makes the electric vehicle have a slight financial advantage. That adds to the score.
Belgium also scores highly in terms of supply. With as many as 167 unique models on the market, Belgium surpasses leading countries Norway (154 models) and Finland (119 models). Only the Netherlands offers slightly more, with 168 models. Belgium's expansion includes an expansion across all segments, with the Citroen eC3, Renault 5, Volvo EX30, Kia EV3, Lancia Y, and the Alfa Junior. Moreover, sales of battery-electric cars in Belgium grew by 146.8% in 2023 and those of plug-in hybrids by 65.4%. The Tesla Model Y, Audi Q4 E-tron and VW ID.4 were the best-selling models.
Progress, but growth still needed in infrastructure
Yet there are still growth margins too Mobility Guide shows. Belgium achieves 17/25 for EV adoption and narrowly reached 10/20 for charging infrastructure. Flanders and Brussels made considerable progress in terms of charging infrastructure. Wallonia is a bit behind, but has plans to install almost 2,500 new charging points from this summer. This expansion is expected to take around two years.
These things also go hand in hand, observes Johan Portier, Country Managing Director at ALD Automotive | LeasePlan in Belgium: ‘We see an ambition in Belgium to install enough public charging points. But there are still countries doing better than us. Today, 80% of newly ordered company vehicles are fully electric, and young used vehicles are also coming out of contract. The charging infrastructure must also keep up this pace of electrification on the road. The challenge now is to rapidly expand the charging network so that we can support the growth of electric vehicles and achieve a real breakthrough.’
The Netherlands and Norway lead on charging infrastructure and EV adoption, both with a score of 20/25 for EV adoption. The Netherlands scores highest on charging infrastructure (17/20), ahead of EV pioneer Norway (15/20).
Portier concludes, ‘We notice that Belgium's commitment to electric driving is rewarded in this list. That is promising. Despite the expansion across all segments of electric models in Belgium, it remains important to still focus on the expansion of charging infrastructure to drive eventual EV adoption. We also need to continue working on making mobility more sustainable. Electric vehicles are one of the solutions our customers choose to achieve their climate goals and reduce their CO2 emissions. Combined with other alternatives, this helps them make step-by-step progress. Our goal is to provide insights and solutions to our customers for a successful transition to more sustainable mobility.’
About the study
Ayvens analysed proprietary data from 2023, covering 3.4 million vehicles from 47 countries. In the analysis, Ayvens assessed the maturity of different countries based on six pillars: EV adoption, charging infrastructure, taxation and regulation, supply of cars with green propulsion, TCO and sustainability impact. The individual points of these six pillars make up the country's overall maturity score. Based on different criteria, the countries were categorised into three groups: developed, in transition, emerging.
