Electric and hybrid cars cover longer distances than petrol-driven vehicles

But diesel vehicles drive by far the longest distances of the total Dutch fleet, according to new figures from national statistics office CBS.

Electric and hybrid cars accounted for just 1.4% of the kilometres driven on Dutch roads last year, the CBS said.

But with an average distance of 17,300 kilometres for a hybrid and 16,300 kilometres for a fully electric vehicle, they far outstripped the 10,700 kilometres covered by petrol-driven cars. Top of the list, however, were diesel-powered vehicles, with an average annual distance of 23,000 kilometres.

At the beginning of this year, there were some 86,000 electric cars in the Netherlands, almost double the total at the start of 2015. The Tesla S is the most popular electric car, while the Mitsubishi Outlander tops the hybrid rankings.