E-car bonus: 100,000 applications approved, less than 15 percent for Chinese vehicles

According to government figures, the e-car bonus, which has existed since May, has so far been paid out to 100,000 applicants. Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) told Bild: “The funding program has far exceeded our expectations and has already helped 100,000 households protect themselves from high fuel prices.”

Every additional electric car makes Germany more independent of expensive oil imports and international conflicts. The money will benefit people who would not have even thought about buying an electric car before, said Schneider.

Less than 15 percent for vehicles from China

Half of the applicants had an annual household income of a maximum of 45,000 euros, three quarters earned a maximum of 60,000 euros. “It is particularly important to me that the social differentiation works,” emphasized Schneider.

The Environment Ministry had previously rejected concerns that Chinese car manufacturers in particular would benefit from the funding. According to initial evaluations, less than 15 percent of applications so far have been for vehicles from China.

Government wants to promote up to 800,000 electric cars

Eligible purchases and leasing are new electric cars, certain plug-in hybrids that can run on both electricity and fuel, and electric cars with so-called range extenders - small combustion engines that increase the range of electric cars.

The prerequisite is that the vehicle has been registered since January 1st of this year. The amount of the state subsidy depends on the vehicle, income and family size and can be up to 6,000 euros. According to government information, the existing funding totaling three billion euros is sufficient for an estimated 800,000 funded vehicles in the period from 2026 to 2029.