Social leasing, Emmanuel Macron’s campaign promise to be re-elected in 2022, appears to be in the final stretch. The idea? Offer to French people who really do not have the means to purchase an electric car or rent one for 100 euros per month, with a difference with the real cost of the rental potentially covered by the State.
At the end of the year
If this complex system takes time to materialize, the President of the Republic indicated this Sunday during his interview with TF1 and France 2 that this “social lease” would be launched at the end of this year:
“At the end of the year we will finalize this leasing that I had promised. We will create a system that, at a rate of 100 euros per month, will allow households to buy electric vehicles produced in Europe, which they will be able to amortize,” explained the Head of State.
What vehicles are eligible?
The main novelty of this declaration: the fact that eligible vehicles will be “produced in Europe.” A logical consequence of the government’s efforts so that the ecological bonus now focuses on these models assembled in France or its neighboring countries, instead of those manufactured abroad, and in particular in China.
Therefore, social leasing will be based on this bonus, the main aid for the purchase of an electric car in France, to offer these rentals adapted to people with low incomes or who need a car to work.
Currently, the bonus of 5,000 euros without income conditions can be increased to 7,000 euros for people with an annual reference tax income less than or equal to 14,089 euros (for the purchase of an electric car for less than 47,000 euros).
However, it is difficult to know in the short term which models will be able to benefit from this system: car manufacturers will be able to submit their file to Ademe, the public agency for the ecological transition, from October 10 and the list of eligible vehicles. It will be communicated on December 15.
The Minister of Ecological Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, suggested in early September that models assembled in China would no longer be eligible for the ecological bonus. This is the case, in particular, of the Dacia Spring, the cheapest 100% electric car currently offered on the French market (except vehicles without a permit), as well as the models of the MG brand (SAIC group) or the Tesla Model 3 and BYD. Dolphin.
The Tesla Model Y, for its part, could retain it, at least in part, with 70% of the production sold in Europe being assembled in the Berlin factory since the beginning of the year, according to data from the Inovev firm.
MG4, Fiat 500 and Dacia Spring… now models at 100 euros per month or less
Some brands already offer leasing offers at 100 euros per month for 100% electric cars. This is the case of MG, which even launched an advertising campaign taking advantage of this delay in the start of the social lease promised by Emmanuel Macron.
The brand thus offers its MG4 at 99 euros per month, “without personal contribution”, but conditional on the maximum ecological bonus of 7,000 euros, but also on the conversion bonus of 2,500 euros. This additional aid is granted for the purchase of an electric car, if the owner scraps an old car (Diesel before 2011 or gasoline before 2006). It is the sum of these two aids that makes it possible to cover the first requested rent of 9,500 euros.
An offer that applies to the MG4 in Standard finish (with the 51 kWh battery, which advertises 350 km of autonomy) for a long-term rental of more than 24 months and 20,000 km.
Fiat also offers an offer of 99 euros per month on its electric 500, with the ecological bonus of 7,000 euros “extended to everyone” (Fiat completes the bonus of 5,000 euros) and the conversion bonus… which is subject to conditions of income. (up to 22,983 euros of reference tax income per share) and of course always the scrapping of a gasoline car before 2006 or Diesel before 2011.
The offer (“no contribution”, as is therefore the case with MG) applies to the electric Fiat 500 (with 23.8 kWh battery and an announced range of 190 km) for rent with an option to purchase for a period of 37 months and 30,000 km.
Finally, we can also mention the Dacia Spring, which offers an even more affordable rental, 79 euros per month, always with a first rental reduced to 0 euros with the 5,000 euro bonus and the conversion bonus, for 37 months and 30,000 km . The offer is offered on the Spring Extreme 65 with a 30 kWh battery for an announced range of 220 km.
Source: BFM TV
