France: Consumer bonuses for electric and hybrid cars
A decree published in the Official Gazette (Journal Officiel) last month included further details of the french government’s automobile recovery plan, and the specific conditions of the increased consumer bonuses for electric and hybrid cars announced by the government.
The government’s automobile recovery plan, which included a number of interesting initiatives for electric and hybrid cars, created quite a buzz last month. Following the announcement, the number of visitors to the Automobile Propre blog went up to around 5000 visitors per day. People turned to the internet to find out more about which bonuses applied to which type of electric and hybrid vehicles.
While we were a little unclear about the conditions of the bonuses last month, the publication of these details in the Official Gazette last month have made things clearer. Get your calculators ready :)
How to calculate the consumer bonus for electric cars
Last month, the government announced that the consumer bonus for electric vehicles would increase from 5000 euros to 7000 euros. We know that the bonus is capped at 30% of the price (inc. VAT) of the car, which includes any battery hire charges. This last point is important – it means that cars which need a battery leasing contract can also fully benefit from these bonuses.
As one of the readers of the Automobile Propre blog pointed out, this means that all electric cars that are sold at least 23 333 euros (inc. VAT) are eligible for the maximum bonus of 7000 euros. For the other (rare) electric cars that are available for less, the bonus will be calculated at 30% of the price of the car and battery.
How to calculate the consumer bonus for hybrid cars
For hybrid cars, the minimum bonus is 2000 euros, and is applicable to every purchase of an eligible car.* This can increase up to 4000 euros, and is calculated as 10% of the price of the car (inc. VAT). Hybrid cars that cost between 20 000 and 39 999 euros (inc. VAT) will obtain a bonus up to 10% of the price. Cars that cost over 40 000 euros are eligible for the maximum bonus amount of 4 000 euros.
*The hybrid vehicles that are eligible for this consumer bonus must have emission levels that are less than 110g CO2 / km.
Subsidies for other cars
Bonuses for other cars are calculated based on CO2 emission levels. Here is a table that summarizes the bonuses applicable.
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