Contrary to rumors announcing its disappearance, the ecological bonus will be maintained in 2025, but with a reduction. Currently set at €4,000, its amount may be higher in certain cases. In 2024, people with a reference tax income per unit, less than or equal to €15,400 per year, can benefit from an increase of €3,000, bringing the total bonus to 7 000 €.
But as we have just mentioned, the government has reviewed downward the amount of the bonus for 2025. For households with the lowest incomes (up to €16,300 per year per unit), the maximum amount of the bonus will be €4,000 in 2025. For households with a reference tax income per unit of between €16,300 and €26,200, the amount of the bonus will be 3 000 €. Finally, for households whose income per share is greater than €26,200, the bonus will be 2 000 €. This reduction in the bonus will undoubtedly have an impact on the French market.
Please note, however, that the bonus will only be valid for zero-emission vehicles produced in Europe whose price does not exceed €47,000. The government also decided to establish a ceiling of 700 million eurosand this, without the possibility of exceeding. That is to say that the government could turn off the tap in the middle of the year when the ceiling is reached. So be careful not to delay too much if you want to order an electric car in 2025.
A boom in the second-hand market?
In December 2023, Germany made a strong decision. At a time when the country offered a bonus for the purchase of an electric car, which enormously boosted sales of this type of vehicle, Germany decided to eliminate the bonus for 2024. Result, sales of zero-emission cars across the Rhine have literally collapsed.
Of course, France is not eliminating the bonus, but the reduction in its amount should certainly reduce the sales figures for zero-emission cars. If sales of new cars slow down, then the proportion of old thermal vehicles will not decrease, at least not significantly. This phenomenon will have the effect of maintaining the second-hand market over time. And as carVertical points out in a report, “the older a vehicle is, the more it changes ownership, increasing the risks for new buyers of inheriting a dubious or fraudulent used vehicle”.
According to a carVertical study, we learned that 2.37% of vehicles in France have a tampered with meter. Fraud is more frequent on diesels (2.52%) than on electrics (1.77%). On average, the reduced kilometers are 68,333 for diesels and 42,384 for electric vehicles.
This reduction in the ecological bonus will therefore have a negative impact next year. It will promote the second-hand market at a time when the authorities want the development of zero-emission vehicles. Will the arrival on the European market of increasingly affordable electric vehicle models succeed in developing this market, despite a reduction in the bonus? Only the future will tell us.
