Electric car incentives: who got them?

The incentives apply to the purchase of vehicles (cars, motorcycles, mopeds, commercial vehicles) deemed "non-polluting" based on certain standard parameters. They consist of a very generous discount on the purchase, proportional to the vehicle's emission class: up to €13 can be obtained by scrapping an old car and replacing it with an electric one, or up to €2 for a used Euro 6 car by scrapping a Euro 0 to 4 vehicle.

So far so convenient, but then the problems begin, the waste of an opportunity and the opacitiesThe incentives don't go directly to drivers, but are passed through dealerships. On the one hand, they advertise the possibility of receiving them on their websites to attract customers, but on the other, they don't disclose whether they are actually available, as the dealer's resources may have run out. But there's a second issue, even more serious than the first. Dealers with funds available for incentives to distribute to customers require them to purchase the car in installments in order to benefit from them. This has the advantage of collecting interest on the purchase, which effectively cancels out the benefits of the bonus.

Finally, there's a mystery that dates back to June 2024 and has never been resolved. A whopping €240 million in incentives were made available by the government for the purchase of new cars with emissions from 0 to 20 g/km of CO2 and a list price of up to €42.700, including VAT. Essentially, pure electric cars. Throughout May, 5.070 electric cars were registered. In the mere hours during which the Invitalia platform allowed dealers to place reservations, 30.000 new electric cars were registered. And in just eight hours, the funds were exhausted. 

Read also:

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