Buy a new electric or hybrid car in France and obtain a grant on the purchase price of the vehicle and for the installation of a charging point.

As is happening in most other countries in Europe, the French government is encouraging the wider use of electric cars through financial incentives to buyers.

The rules of engagement are forever changing and the generous headline figures that are often cited are subject to detailed conditions that are sometimes difficult to fulfil.

Nevertheless, if you do meet the criteria, a reasonable sum of cash is available, although you need to be careful of inflated prices from dealers arising from the grants.

Broadly speaking, there are three main measures in place:

• Prime à la Conversion – a grant for scraping an eligible car and the purchase of an eligible eco-friendly.
• Bonus Ecologique – a grant for the purchase of a new or eligible second-hand electric or hybrid car.
• Borne de Recharge - a grant for the installation of an electric recharge point at you home.

There is also an additional grant available for many areas of Paris (see below).

These grants are cumulative.

i. Prime à la Conversion (1st Jan 2024)

This grant is conditional on you scrapping your existing car. That is why is also known as a prime à la casse.

The vehicle scrapped must have been registered before Jan 2006 if petrol and Jan 2011 if diesel. It must be scrapped by an authorised scrapyard (Centre agréé VHU).

The vehicle must have been owned by you for at least a year.

The vehicle purchased must be either new electric or a second hand vehicle. In the latter case, CO2 emission rating cannot be greater than 132g/km. It is also possible to obtain a grant to retrofit a vehicle to hybrid power.

The purchase price must also be lower than €47,000, inc vat.

The vehicle to be purchased weight cannot be higher than 2.4 tons and must run exclusively on electricity or hydrogen, or a mix of the two. Vehicles run on ethanol are also eligible, provided the emissions are no greater than 132g/km.

The amount of the grant depends on your income:

• Those an income no greater than €7,000 pa are entitled to a grant up to €5,000.
• Between €7,000 and €15,400 the grant is between €1,500 and €3,000, although those who put more than 12,000 on the clock each year (or who need to drive more than 30kms to work) are eligible for a grant of €5,000.
• Between €15,400 and €24,900 the grant is between €500 and €1,500.
• Those with an income greater than €24,900 pa are not eligible.

Grants for a second-hand vehicle are capped at €3,000 and the maximum only available to those with an income no greater than €15,400.

The grant can also be increased by €1,000 in high pollution areas, called Zones à faibles émissions mobilité (ZFE), up to €3,000 if there is a commensurate contribution by the local authority.

The government have an on-line simulator for you to assess your eligibility, which you can find at Simulator.

You can also make application at Prime Conversion.

ii. Bonus Ecologique (1st Jan 2024)

This is a grant towards the purchase or lease of a new electric (or hydrogen) car or small van. The vehicle must be registered in France.

Vehicles must also meet a minimum environmental score (carbon footprint), the details of which can be found at Environmental Bonus.

The grant does not require that your existing vehicle is scrapped.

The purchaser must own the vehicle for at least a year, and to have covered 6,000 kms before they can resell it.

The amount of assistance varies according to the price, income of purchaser and type of vehicle.

The bonus is deducted from the price of the vehicle by the dealer or reimbursed on application by you after the purchase of the vehicle.

The maximum purchase price of the vehicle is limited to €47,000 inc vat. The bonus is 27% of the vehicle's acquisition cost including tax, up to a maximum of €4,000/€7,000.

• The bonus is up to €7,000 for those with an income no greater than €15,400. The sum increases to €8,000 for a utility vehicle.
• For those whose income is higher than €15,400, but lower than 50% of the average household, the grant is up to €4,000.

If you purchase the car through a dealer they should deal with the formalities, but if not you can make application at Bonus Ecologique.

iii. Borne de Recharge (1st Jan 2024)

A tax credit (a grant if you do not pay income tax) is available to those who buy a charging station for their electric or rechargeable hybrid car, to install it in their home or co-ownership property.

Unlike the grants above it is available to second-home owners, provided you are resident in France. It is also available to tenants.

The tax credit is 75% of costs up to €500 per person, so a married couple (or those in a civil partnership) seeking two charging stations would be entitled to a grant of up to €1,000. It is only available for the purchase of the charging station itself, not the installation cost.

It is accessible to everyone, regardless of income, whether or not they are liable to income tax. The tax credit is granted the year following the completion of the work.

The grant is only going to cover part of the cost of the works, which will generally be in excess of €1,000, including labour costs.

In order to claim the tax credit, you declare it in 2024 on your 2023 tax return.

There are also grants for the installation of charging stations in co-ownership properties.

iv. Paris

If you live in Paris then you can make an application under their related scheme at Métropole Roule Propre.