An electric car brings a garage less than half of what a car with a combustion engine does each year. In 2025 owners of a fully electric car spent an average of € 294 on servicing and repair, against € 779 for a petrol or diesel car. That is 62% less per car.
The share of electric cars is growing fast. At the start of 2026 more than 1 in 5 passenger cars had an electric motor, and in 2026 42% of new cars sold were fully electric. For a garage the work shifts: away from the engine, towards tyres, brakes, air conditioning, the high-voltage system and the battery.
In short
- A fully electric car cost an average of € 294 a year in servicing and repair in 2025, a plug-in hybrid € 493 and a car with a combustion engine € 779.
- At the start of 2026 there were 694,602 fully electric cars on the road, 22% more than a year earlier. Together with hybrids more than 1 in 5 cars has an electric motor.
- Engine work disappears. Tyres, air conditioning, high-voltage work and battery checks remain, but they require knowledge and qualifications.
In this article
- Does an electric car bring a garage less revenue?
- How many electric cars are already on the road in the Netherlands?
- Which work disappears with an electric car?
- Which work on an electric car can you still earn from?
- What do used electric cars mean for a garage?
- How do you work out what this means for your garage?
Does an electric car bring a garage less revenue?
Yes, about 62% less per car. According to the Aftersales Monitor of BOVAG and RAI Vereniging, a fully electric car cost an average of € 294 a year in servicing and repair in 2025. A plug-in hybrid cost € 493 and a car with a combustion engine € 779 (BOVAG, 1 April 2026).
The effect is already visible nationally. In 2025 the sector turned over € 4.7 billion in the workshop, 100 million less than a year earlier. The number of servicing moments did rise, from 13.2 to 13.3 million, but € 352 was spent per workshop visit, € 12 less than in 2024 (BOVAG, 1 April 2026). According to BOVAG, the growth in the number of services is due to a larger and older car fleet.
An electric car also comes in less often. In 2024 an electric car was presented for servicing 1.36 times a year on average, all cars together 2.04 times (BOVAG, 14 May 2025). Fewer visits means fewer moments to find and sell other work.
The same picture is known outside the Netherlands. A comparison of the total costs of electric cars and cars with a combustion engine in the United States names the lower cost of servicing and repair as one of the reasons the higher purchase price of an electric car is in some cases recovered in as little as 5 years (Liu et al., 2021).
How many electric cars are already on the road in the Netherlands?
On 1 January 2026 the Netherlands had about 9.4 million passenger cars. Of these, 694,602 were fully electric, 22% more than a year earlier. There were 523,773 plug-in hybrids, about 40% more, and 804,962 hybrids without a plug, 19% more. Together more than 1 in 5 cars has an electric motor (CBS, 10 April 2026).
Growth continues. In September 2026 there were 789,571 fully electric passenger cars on the road, 8.4% of all passenger cars. Of the new cars sold in 2026, 42% were fully electric (RVO, state of electric transport). Those cars will come out of the dealer's warranty in the coming years.
For an independent garage that matters. For cars up to six years old the franchised dealer does just over half of the services. For cars of seven years and older independent garages do almost half (BOVAG, 14 May 2025). Today's electric cars are therefore tomorrow's older customer cars.
Which work disappears with an electric car?
All work on the combustion engine. A fully electric car has no engine oil, no spark plugs, no exhaust and no timing belt. The ordinary service with oil and filters disappears with it.
A plug-in hybrid still has a combustion engine. That is why its annual amount of € 493 lies between that of an electric car and a petrol car (BOVAG, 1 April 2026). So for the coming years there is still engine work, but its share is shrinking.
Which work on an electric car can you still earn from?
Tyres, air conditioning, work on the high-voltage system and the battery. An electric car is heavier than a comparable fuel car. As a result the tyres wear faster, and with heavy electric cars you must check the load index, the tyre's load capacity, with extra care (viaBOVAG, tyres for electric cars).
An electric car also has air conditioning. From 1 January 2027 you need a training certificate for that work (IPLO, transition to the certificate system). Work on the high-voltage system is only allowed when it is de-energised and only by competent, authorised people (Working Conditions Decree, article 3.5). For this the sector works with the NEN 9140 standard and a voluntary e-certificate (OOMT, e-certification).
The battery check is new work. Such a test measures the State of Health, how healthy the battery still is compared with new. The battery is the most expensive part of an electric car and its condition largely determines the value of a used car (ANWB, EV battery check). Buyers and sellers of used electric cars need that measurement.
What do used electric cars mean for a garage?
The share is growing, but is still small. In 2025, 2,124,429 used cars changed hands. Of all used cars sold, 4.8% were fully electric, against 4.2% in 2024 (BOVAG, record year 2025). Petrol was still by far the largest at 72.7%.
The supply is on its way. In the business lease fleet 43% is fully electric and 11% a plug-in hybrid. New business lease contracts run for 48 months on average (VNA, Car lease market in figures 2025). When those contracts end, the cars become available. That is where the used electric cars of the coming years will come from.
For a garage that also sells cars, a used electric car requires different knowledge. The buyer wants to know the state of the battery. A recent battery test or certificate with the car makes the sale easier, because such a test is not standard (ANWB, EV battery check).
How do you work out what this means for your garage?
Start with your own customer base, not with the national average. Count how many of your regular customers drive a fully electric car, a plug-in hybrid or a petrol or diesel car. Then calculate with the annual amounts per type of car.
An example using the national amounts for 2025. Suppose 100 of your customers swap their petrol car for a fully electric car over the coming years. Per car spending falls from € 779 to € 294, which is € 485 less. For 100 customers that is € 48,500 a year in workshop revenue.
You only win that revenue back if you do other work or serve more customers. Three questions help. Can your workshop work safely on high voltage? Will you have an air conditioning certificate in 2027? And do you earn from tyres, wheel alignment and battery checks? Tracking the share of electric cars in your work orders every month shows how fast it is happening for you.
Sources
- BOVAG, More servicing moments, but a lower amount per workshop visit, 1 April 2026. bovag.nl
- BOVAG, Aftersales Monitor 2024: fewer servicing moments, higher costs, 14 May 2025. bovag.nl
- Liu, Z., Song, J., Kubal, J., Susarla, N., Knehr, K.W., Islam, E., Nelson, P. & Ahmed, S. (2021). Comparing total cost of ownership of battery electric vehicles and internal combustion engine vehicles. Energy Policy, 158, 112564. doi.org
- CBS, Almost a quarter more cars with an electric motor, 10 April 2026. cbs.nl
- RVO, State of electric transport, reference date September 2026. rvo.nl
- viaBOVAG, Summer and winter tyres for electric cars, updated 12 June 2025. viabovag.nl
- IPLO, Transition to a new certification system for mobile passenger air conditioning, updated 28 September 2026. iplo.nl
- Working Conditions Decree, article 3.5, in force from 1 August 2026. wetten.overheid.nl
- OOMT, E-certification, accessed 22 October 2026. oomt.nl
- ANWB, EV battery check, accessed 22 October 2026. anwb.nl
- BOVAG, Record year 2025: used car sales rise to 2.1 million, press release. bovag.nl
- VNA, Car lease market in figures 2025. vna-lease.nl