According to travel organisation Kayak’s Road Trip Index for 2022, the Netherlands has the most sustainable roads in Europe, largely as a result of the high number of electric vehicle charging stations.
Every year, Kayak analyses various factors in order to determine the best countries in Europe for road trips. This year’s edition of the index ranked 33 countries according to 24 unique factors - everything ranging from weather and petrol prices, to road quality and campsite density. Each country is then awarded an overall score out of 100.
This year, with its infamous autobahn and abundance of historical sites, Germany nabbed the top spot with a perfect score of 100. While the Netherlands fell just outside of the top 10, coming in 11th place behind Switzerland with an overall score of 62, it performed well across a number of categories, including the quality of the roads, number of campsites, and - unsurprisingly - the number of electric vehicle charging points.
According to Kayak, the Netherlands is home to some of the greenest roads in Europe, with the country receiving a perfect score in the travel organisation’s sustainability ranking. This index took a number of environmental factors into consideration, such as the total number of cars, air quality, number of traffic jams, and the number and average prices of chargers for electric vehicles.
The Netherlands’ high score isn’t particularly surprising as, earlier this year, a study revealed that while the Netherlands may be small, it was home to a whopping 30 percent of Europe’s charging stations. “The Netherlands has an extremely high density of EV stations and competitive charging prices,” Kayak writes, adding that the country has a relatively low number of cars in relation to its population size - likely because so many people rely on bikes and public transport to get around!