It is on December 15 that the new criteria for the ecological bonus will come into force in France. The government, a day in advance, revealed the list of electric cars which will still benefit from the purchase bonus.
The verdict is in. A little day ahead of the announced date, the government revealed the list of electric cars who will still benefit from the ecological bonus from December 15, 2023. Until then, for the purchase of an electric vehicle whose price was less than 47,000 euros, any buyer, without any conditions, benefited from a discount of 5 000 euros. This purchasing assistance could even increase to 7,000 euros for the most modest households.
This ecological bonus, introduced in France in 2007, will become tougher from December 15, 2023 and for the whole of 2024. To accelerate the decarbonization of roads, and, let’s put it bluntly, encourage the purchase of vehicles manufactured in France and in Europe, the government has decided to make a selection and to now only reserve its aid for the “cleanest” vehicles.
Since October, manufacturers from around the world have been able to submit applications on an Ademe (Environment and Energy Management Agency) platform to apply for the new ecological bonus. Each car model was analyzed according to different criteria: the materials used during the construction of the vehicle, the energy consumption of the manufacturing plant, the type of battery in the car and finally the CO2 emissions emitted during transportation. of the vehicle from the factory to its point of sale. After being scrutinized, all the cars received a rating, the famous environmental score. They had to reach the mark of 60 points out of 80 to obtain admission to the ecological bonus.
Unsurprisingly, the big losers in this selection are the Asian car brands. Moreover, the majority of Chinese manufacturers had not submitted a file knowing that the game was lost in advance. Thus, the MG brand, which produces in China the sixth best-selling electric model in Europe, the MG 4, will no longer benefit from December 15 from the discount of 5,000 or 7,000 euros on its vehicles sold in France. This will also be the case for BYD, Geely, Leapmotor, Aiways, Dongfeng… Another big loser from this tightening of rules: Dacia. Its Spring, very popular in Europe, is not assembled in Romania but in…China. The crossover city car, whose range has evolved in 2023, today costs 20,800 euros at entry level. It was the cheapest on the market when it benefited from the 5,000 euro reduction. This will no longer be the case.
The big winners from the exclusion of around one in three electric models are above all the French manufacturers, Renault, Peugeot and Citroën, who thus hope to accelerate the sales of their electric cars. The Twingo, Mégane, Scénic, 208, 308, 2008 and ë-C4, while waiting for the upcoming arrival of the future R5, 4L or even ë-C3, will now leave with a certain advantage over the competition from afar, and in particular from ‘Asia. As for the American brand Tesla, for which the suspense remained complete, it will retain the ecological bonus for its Model Y, the best-selling electric car in Europe currently, but not for its Model 3, the second best-selling battery car in Europe. the European continent. The first is manufactured in Germany, near Berlin, the second in China, in the Shanghai gigafactory. Here too, this is rather good news for European manufacturers.
In total, 22 brands will be able to offer electric cars eligible for the new ecological bonus. For some, like Audi, only one model – the Q4 45 e-tron -, for others, like Peugeot, Citroën, Opel or Volkswagen, several dozen. This list (to be found below) is not definitive. Some manufacturers may appeal Ademe’s decision and new cars, expected soon on our roads, will be able to complete it.
- Abarth (500)
- Audi (Q4 45 e-tron)
- BMW (4 Series, X Series, iX1 Series, iX2)
- Citroën (ë-C4, ë-C4 X, ë-Berlingo, Jumpy Space Tourer)
- Cupra (Born)
- DS (DS3, DS3 Crossback)
- Fiat (e-Doblo, 500, 600, Ulysse)
- Hyundai (Kona)
- Jeep (Avenger)
- Mazda (MX-30)
- Mercedes (EQA Class, EQB Class, EQT)
- Mini (Mini)
- Nissan (Townstar, Leaf)
- Opel (Combo, Combo e-Life, Astra, Astra Sport Tourer, Corsa, Mokka, Zafira Life)
- Peugeot (e-Rifter, 208, 308, 2008, 3008, Expert Traveler)
- Renault (Zoé, Twingo, Mégane, Scénic, Kangoo e-Tech Electric)
- Sköda (Enyaq, Enyaq coupe, Enyaq 50, Enyaq 60, Enyaq 80, Enyak 80X)
- Smart (Fortwo)
- Tesla (Model Y)
- Toyota (Proace City, Proace City Verso Electric)
- Volkswagen (Up!, ID.3 Pro, ID.4 Pure, ID.4 Pro, ID.4 Pro 4Motion, ID.4 GTX, ID.5 Pro, ID.5 GTX, ID.7 Pro)
- Volvo (C40, XC40)