Reduced ecological bonus: little impact on end-of-year sales

Too late to change the situation. The ecological bonus for the purchase of an electric vehicle reserved for the wealthiest households (between deciles 6 and 10) could decrease on January 1, dropping to 4,000 euros, compared to 5,000 euros today. Contacted, Bercy confirmed that he is working on this project.

If this idea becomes reality, it is difficult to imagine that it will boost sales of electric cars in the coming days. First, this planing of the system does not concern all segments of the population: the most modest households should continue to benefit from a 7,000 euro discount. Then, potential customers affected by this downward adjustment should be aware of it. Almost impossible because the decree establishing this new rule has not yet been published. “The time frame is too short for households to change their plans,” estimates Flavien Neuvy, economist at BNP Paribas Personal Finance, who continues: “The concessions do not have the time to advertise on the subject. » To set up special operations intended to mobilize their customers or prospects, they need a month and a half.

More generally, when it comes to automobiles, the government is wary of smart guys who would like to take advantage of the measures set to be reduced in the coming weeks. So, when it published on December 15 the list of 56 clean cars entitled to continue to benefit from the ecological bonus, its application was immediate. As a result, Dacia's Spring, Tesla's Model 3 or the Chinese SAIC's MG4, which are not among these good students, are marketed without help. Today, the Dacia Spring is sold for an average of 20,800 euros, compared to 15,800 euros when it benefited from the ecological bonus.

This reform of the ecological bonus with the integration of the environmental score should have a strong impact on the French automobile market in 2024. Because the Spring, the Model 3 and the MG 4 were among the best-selling electric models in France. The Peugeot (e-208, e-308 in particular), Citroën (future ë-C3) or Renault (Megane E-tech, future R5) models, manufactured in Europe, could do well. That was the goal from the government: stop subsidizing vehicles produced in Asia. The stakes are high, because electric vehicles represented 20% of registrations last November in France.