The government confirmed on Wednesday morning a clear reduction in purchasing aid for electric cars, but assured that it did not want to reverse its ambition to electrify the vehicle fleet. “The maximum aid will be 4,000 euros (compared to 7,000 currently, editor’s note) and then there will be a decreasing effect depending on your level of income,” explained government spokesperson Maud Bregeon on franceinfo, who justified this clearly undermined by the “extremely constrained” budgetary context.
The decree will be published in the Official Journal “in the coming hours” and there will be “immediate effect”, she added. “France is choosing to maintain aid while other European countries, notably Germany, have decided to eliminate this aid,” commented the Minister Delegate in charge of Transport, François Durovray, on RMC.
Helping the “most modest” households as a priority
“We are doing it because we indeed consider that there is a need for support for the automobile industry and because there is a need for support in particular to move towards electrification,” a- he detailed. The ecological bonus, granted for the purchase of a new electric vehicle, had already increased by the beginning of 2024 from 5,000 to 4,000 euros for half of the wealthiest French households. It rose to 7,000 euros for the most modest households.
The new scale must finance “the lowest-income households as a priority”, the government indicated in October. As for “social leasing”, this electric car rental heavily subsidized by the government for low-income households, it should also be renewed, the Minister of Transport confirmed. The government also announced in November the elimination of the conversion bonus, granted when purchasing a low-polluting vehicle in exchange for an old car.
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