Buying a new car is clearly not a priority when you are struggling to make ends meet.
And when it becomes a necessity, it is above all the price criterion that takes precedence.
This usually encourages low-income households to swap their old vehicle for… another old vehicle in better condition, and not a clean vehicle.
To reverse the trend and boost the renewal of the vehicle fleet in order to reduce pollution, the government is banking on a new microcredit.
An already existing device
Banks only grant advantageous borrowing terms to clients with high financial strength. Consequently, the most precarious households find themselves unable to obtain bank credit at a moderate rate. In order to compensate for this lack of funds, the legislator has long established the system of "personal microcredit". People with low resources (no fixed income ceiling) must present their financing needs to a social association such as the Red Cross, the Federation of Rural Families, the Catholic Help, the Restos du cœur or the National Union of Family Associations. These structures are responsible for studying the files and supporting applicants in their dealings with a partner bank in the system.
Funded projects must, on the other hand, fall within the framework of social or professional integration.
In practice, this may involve paying for the purchase or repair of a vehicle necessary to get to work, but also for training, a driver's license or even poorly reimbursed health care.
The sums borrowed are between 300 and 5,000 euros, over a period ranging from six months to four years, sometimes up to five.
As for the credit rate, it is freely set by the lender (between 1.5 and 4%) but is generally low.
A new specific envelope
According to government figures, more than 21,000 personal microloans were granted in 2019, up 13% over one year. But the device has so far led individuals to opt for the cheapest vehicle possible, and therefore generally old (more than ten years on average). In order to combine economic support for households in difficulty and the environment, the State has chosen to strengthen this program by creating a financial envelope dedicated to ecological mobility. This is the new “clean vehicle microcredit”.
This loan aims to buy or lease sustainably (long-term rental or rental with option to purchase) a new or used vehicle with low pollution.
To be eligible, the automobile must be stamped Crit'Air 0 - which corresponds to electric or plug-in hybrid models - or enter the category of Crit'Air 1 gasoline cars and vans (registration from 2011), of which the CO2 emission rate does not exceed 132 g / km3.
It is also possible to opt for an electric motorcycle or quadricycle.
50% guaranteed by the State, this microcredit provides up to 5,000 euros repayable over five years.
Here again, you must contact an association offering a social support service to benefit from it.
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In practice
The clean vehicle microcredit can be combined with the ecological bonus (electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle) and the conversion bonus paid when you discard an old polluting vehicle (diesel registered before 2011 or gasoline before 2006).
The ministry gives two practical examples:
An individual who owns a 2005 Renault Clio petrol wants to buy a used Renault Zoe for 9,000 euros.
He then benefits from 5,000 euros in aid for the conversion bonus and 1,000 euros as an ecological bonus.
The 3,000 euros remaining to be paid are financed by a clean vehicle microcredit, which allows him to pay nothing during the purchase and to stagger his loan repayment.
Another individual wants to get rid of his Citroën C3 diesel from 2009. If he opts for a used Peugeot 208 petrol at 8,500 euros, he will be able to benefit from a conversion premium of 3,000 euros.
In the best case, the microcredit will then allow him to finance up to 5,000 euros, leaving him only 500 euros to pay when purchasing the vehicle.
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