Automotive News Europe — 2022-08-29
Automotive Industry
France is readying a plan to subsidize electric-car leasing as part of President Emmanuel Macron’s campaign pledge to make them more affordable.
The plan will make full-electric vehicles available for €100 a month, Budget Minister Gabriel Attal said on Sunday 28 August 2022 on LCI television, noting that the cost is less than what many people spend on gasoline. The government is working on how quickly the measure can be rolled out and the availability of EVs, he said.
Macron promised a state-sponsored leasing program for low-income households to counter criticism that even with subsidies, EVs are still out of reach for many.
The French government offers subsidies of as much as €6,000 for the purchase of EVs costing less than €47,000, with possible additional aid under a cash-for-clunkers program for old combustion-engine vehicles. EVs represented 12% of new car sales in France in the first seven months of 2022.
“We know that for many French they remain very expensive,” Attal said on Sunday 27 August 2022.
Among low-cost EVs, the Dacia Spring is available for €120 a month in France with a long-term lease; the soon-to-be discontinued Nissan Leaf is available for €139 a month, as is the Fiat New 500; and the Renault Twingo for €150 a month.