Background information

The government has announced the introduction of an electric car leasing scheme costing less than €100 a month, to give low-income households access to an electric car, particularly for business travel. The Minister for the Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire, has indicated that this leasing scheme will be "reserved for the lowest 50% of households". The €14,089 reference tax income required to qualify for the €7,000 environmental bonus should therefore also constitute the income ceiling for this €100 per month leasing scheme, the amount of which excludes insurance.

Content of measure

This social leasing scheme will take the form of a lease, with or without a purchase option, for up to five years. It will therefore be possible to choose between a long-term lease (LLD) and a lease with purchase option (LOA), enabling the vehicle to be purchased at the end of the lease. Bruno Le Maire has stated that there will be "no initial outlay" and that "the first rent will be paid entirely by the State". On this subject, Les Echos reports that the State could contribute €13,000 towards the first instalment to make leasing economically viable. This additional State contribution would include the €7,000 environmental bonus (which already exists for low-income households) and would be capped at 16% of the vehicle's sale price.

The Minister for the Economy indicated that social leasing would concern "vehicles with the lowest possible carbon footprint", as provided for in the reform of the ecological bonus for the purchase of a vehicle. Models such as the Citroën ë-C3, the Fiat 500e and the Twingo E-Tech would therefore be eligible, but not the Tesla 3 or the Dacia Spring. Households would be required to make a minimum three-year commitment.

Use of measure

The government is aiming to sign between 10,000 and 20,000 contracts by 2024. A geographical criterion could be introduced to limit this measure to households located in low-emission zones (ZFE), where restrictions on the circulation of polluting vehicles will become increasingly restrictive, and those located in rural areas with no access to public transport.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Does not apply to workers	Does not apply to businesses	People on low incomes

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government	National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement as case not in social partner domain	No involvement as case not in social partner domain
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• No involvement
• Main level of involvement: N/A

Involvement

No involvement.

Views and reactions

Information not available.

Sources

• 23 October 2023: Les Echos (2023), Voiture électrique à 100 euros par mois : le soutien de l'Etat pourrait atteindre 13.000 euros (www.lesechos.fr)