France plans leasing subsidies for e-cars

The French government is preparing a subsidy program for the leasing of e-cars, which should also enable access for people with low incomes. The plan is to make leasing possible for 100 euros a month.

Electric cars unaffordable for many

The French government has identified a key obstacle to the transportation transition: Electric mobility is significantly more sustainable than gasoline-powered ones; at the same time, however, it is hardly affordable for many people. Inexpensive cars available on the market are in almost every case those with combustion engines – simply because there is a large supply of used vehicles here, which is not the case with the fairly new e-cars. In order to make the switch to electric cars possible for those with low incomes, France is now planning to subsidize the leasing of e-cars.

This step is intended to complement the existing purchase subsidies, which are similar to those in force in Germany. So far, anyone living in France who buys an e-car for less than €47,000 can receive a government subsidy of up to €6,000. In addition, there are partial premiums for scrapping cars with internal combustion engines.

Leasing for 100 euros a month?

Gabriel Attal, Minister of State Action and Public Budgets, has now announced that the government wants to promote leasing, as vehicles remain unaffordable for many people in France despite existing subsidies. In this context, he has spoken of leasing for 100 euros a month. Although this plan is not yet watertight, it can nevertheless be expected to be implemented: President Emmanuel Macron promised during the election campaign to make e-cars accessible to the masses.

Attal also announced that the government is currently examining how quickly the measure can be implemented and how many electric vehicles are available for this purpose. It is also known that only vehicles from manufacturers in the EU will be eligible.

No similar regulation in Germany

So far, there are no plans for a similar regulation in Germany. On the contrary, Finance Minister Christian Lindner has instead announced that the purchase subsidy for electric cars will be phased out as of next year. It is to be discontinued completely at the end of 2025.