Survey: ‘46% of Dutch drivers will never use a shared car’

More than eight out of ten Dutch drivers (86%) prefer their own car above a shared car. What’s more, almost half of all drivers in the Netherlands (46%) will never use a shared car. Not for all the tea in China. These are only some of the surprising conclusions of a survey of MisterGreen Electric Lease, organized by Panelwizard, among 1 099 Dutch citizens with a driver’s license.

Congested roads, peaking fuel prices, polluting emissions… Reasons enough for the Dutch to abandon car ownership and opt for shared mobility. However, most Dutch drivers are not so keen on giving up their private cars.

Human

It is true that shared mobility is coming up. In many European countries, car-sharing platforms are shooting up like mushrooms. Still, letting one’s own car go is extremely difficult, as the study shows. An average of almost 90% of Dutch drivers prefer using their own car instead of sharing one. Male drivers are even more attached (92%) to their vehicles than their female counterparts.

Change and innovation always face opposition, especially among older people. That’s only human. Remember the aversion to the first cell phones? Even today, the idea of sharing a car is not completely accepted yet. The question is whether it ever will. According to Panelwizard, most Dutch drivers still reject the idea.

Hygiene and damage

For 44% of interviewees, it’s a question of hygiene. More than half of all respondents (56%) fear damage. Another argument against car-sharing is the degeneration of the street scene.

Three-quarters of Dutch drivers (72%) do not believe that car-sharing will once replace car ownership; however, people in the urban agglomerations are less skeptical. Inhabitants of the provinces Drenthe and Friesland are most convinced that private passenger cars will remain dominant on the Dutch roads.

Opposition grows with age

The level of opposition also grows with age: 58% of those aged 60 or older refuse to use a shared vehicle, while the percentage among those younger than 30 is only 23%. Young drivers are less opposed to the principle; young female drivers are most willing to share a car.

“People have to get used to shared mobility,” explains Caroline Asselbergs-Van Dijl, CEO of MisterGreen. “It can take a while before people accept and support it.”

Twelve years ago, MisterGreen Electric Lease started offering leasing contracts for electric cars. The Tesla expert is determined to ban the use of fossil fuels.