Prices of electric cars: watch out for the pitfalls

Our chief complainer is annoyed by the big mess in the prices displayed on manufacturers' websites for electric models.

At the end of November, while leafing through daily newspapers, I saw an advertisement for the Fiat Grande Panda. Enough to encourage me to take a detour to the local dealership to see the model. Who wasn't there. Weird. When I see an advertisement for a vehicle, I expect to find it in the showroom.

The launch of the Grande Panda was indeed a little late, but Fiat wanted to get ahead of the communication. The car actually made a preview tour of French garages in December. A strategy increasingly used by brands. In an increasingly competitive market, and faced with increasingly hesitant customers, attention must be captured as early as possible.

The flashy yellow background of the Big Panda ad was already enough to attract attention. But another element also hit the mark: the mention “100% electric, from €15,900”. It is true that an electric city car at this price is enough to make an impression.

Still, if you go to the brand's website, you will now come across this mention: list price from €24,900. We are far from €15,900! Because there was of course an asterisk next to this very eye-catching price. This took into account an increased bonus of €7,000, a scrappage bonus of €1,500 and a Fiat gift of €500.

The starting price has therefore not changed, it is €24,900 before aid. But these have changed since the advertisement was published. Now there is a maximum bonus of €4,000. And that's it.

Fiat certainly did not expect such a rapid change in purchasing aid. It is true that we thought that they would change on January 1, but the government (resigned) took the lead by changing the rules from December 2.

Still, this €15,900 advert poses a problem for me. If we did not know the conditions of the aid, we clearly knew that the bonus was going to drop and that the scrappage bonus was going to be completely eliminated. Certainly, it is traditional to allow a period of three months for delivery. But even with the application of the new rules on January 1, this gave until March 31 to do so. However, Fiat does not seem able to deliver its Pandas within this deadline. And if he knew it, the price of €15,900 almost seems like false advertising, because it is impossible to obtain.

It was more prudent to only communicate on the list price, but it is still less impactful. At least we would be less confused, because with electric cars, it is not easy to follow prices and easily compare between manufacturers. From one site to another, there will be differences in the displays.

For example, at Renault, we might think that the price of electric vehicles has just increased. The R5 is now priced from €25,990 and no longer €23,990. But that's because the manufacturer only includes the minimum bonus, now €2,000 for the richest. Meanwhile, at Citroën, we include the maximum bonus of €4,000 to announce the C3 from €19,400.

Others will meanwhile display a base price with bonus and promo. This is for example the case of the ID.3 at Volkswagen, promised in December at €27,990. Enough to be more eye-catching than the Mégane now priced at €32,000 with the €2,000 bonus. But who will certainly benefit from a discount.

Even if there are bonuses and promotions, a full price will remain clearer than rental offers. Because in recent weeks, the Tesla website has also evolved. We now find ourselves with rental offers in the first place. And the builder uses a well-known trick: a very attractive rent which takes into account a fairly hefty first contribution. To get the list prices, you have to go through a drop-down menu…