ON DECRYPT
Since Thursday, changing your car for a newer and cleaner model may be less profitable than before. The conversion premium, set up to encourage the French to replace an old vehicle with a less polluting vehicle, has indeed been revised downward.
The conditions of access to this device have been tightened by the government, especially to save money. These bonuses, less generous, will now be paid only for the purchase of cleaner vehicles than hitherto. They will also be concentrated primarily on low-income households. The right to the premium is now based on the reference tax income that appears on the tax notice. This leads to the fact that half of the richest households can no longer claim it.
Lower CO2 emission thresholds than before
As for vehicles, the premium no longer works for the purchase of used diesels while it was still possible for some diesel until Wednesday evening. As for gasoline cars, some engines are now excluded because of their CO2 emissions too high. In this case, these are cars that emit more than 117 grams per kilometer traveled. Excluded also: cars whose purchase price is over 60,000 euros.
The purpose of this adjustment is to limit the cost generated by the success of the device - more than 250,000 files filed in 2019 - on the state budget.
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Encourage the purchase of electric vehicles
It is also to encourage more the purchase of electric vehicles. In this case, the premium can go up to 5,000 euros, an amount twice as high as until now. "Directing this premium towards electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids is very important for the greening of the car fleet," greets Europe 1 Joseph Beretta, president of the National Association for the Development of Electric Mobility (AVERE).
Currently, the electric fleet concerns only a little over 2% of vehicles in France. "It is obvious that if we want to reduce urban pollution and gain energy independence, we must switch to the electric car", insists the head of the AVERE.
Remains the price of this type of car, usually between 25,000 and 30,000 euros and can put off many buyers, despite the amount of the conversion premium. "You have to go beyond the purchase price, you have to integrate the total cost of ownership", argues Joseph Beretta, ie savings on fuel, diesel or gasoline.