The dream of electric motorcycles—once heralded as the vanguard of sustainable mobility—is now hitting some serious potholes. They were buoyed by pandemic-era innovation and surging demand. Now the industry is facing storm clouds.
Across the globe, promising startups are folding, and in the Netherlands, a heavy new tax policy threatens to crush progress under the weight of bureaucratic missteps. Now, the Dutch government has decided to slap electric motorcycles with a hefty 19.4% BPM tax, minus a token €210.
This Heavy Tax Could Really Put a Damper on EVs
Unlike zero-emission cars, which are fully exempt from BPM, electric bikes are bearing the brunt of fiscal inequality. Consider this: starting in 2025, the Energica Experia—a premium electric two-wheeler—will leap from €30,452 to €35,010, a staggering €4,559 hike. Meanwhile, its gas-guzzling Yamaha Tracer 900 counterpart remains untouched at €16,299. Subsidy cuts and the reinstatement of road taxes for EV motorcycles only pile on the pain.
For a country with just 700,000 motorcycles on its roads—half that of the UK and a fraction of the US—this policy feels like an easy grab for revenue at the expense of innovation. It’s a cruel twist for a sector poised to drive Europe’s carbon-neutral ambitions.
The Dutch policy not only undermines electric motorcycles but sets a dangerous precedent. Instead of incentivizing sustainable mobility, it risks stalling progress entirely. At a time when governments should champion innovation, this misstep leaves riders, manufacturers, and the environment spinning their wheels. Europe’s carbon-neutral goals? They just got a lot harder to reach.
Source: Visordown
