Overview
- Since mid‑May the federal income‑tiered E‑Auto subsidy for private buyers has been available and dealers are applying it as a leasing down‑payment to lower monthly rates.
- Dealers and leasing platforms now advertise unusually low monthly offers — examples include deals around €100–€179 a month when the state grant is counted as the upfront payment.
- Manufacturers are adding their own bonuses to the state aid, with Citroën extending a program through September that can top up the subsidy by up to €3,000 and yield combined discounts as large as €12,000 on some models.
- The subsidy applies only to new battery EVs and explicitly excludes used cars until at least 2027, a rule that helps explain why bargain used EV listings under €25,000 have fallen sharply and now sell very quickly.
- While the overall used‑EV market has grown fast with about 120,000 re‑registrations reported early in 2026, the split between plentiful higher‑priced used EVs and scarce sub‑€25,000 options is tightening choice for budget buyers and could raise competition for affordable models.