E-car bonus reaches 100,000 households - Schneider emphasizes social impact

Especially in times of high fuel prices, many people want an electric car. And the vehicles are actually becoming increasingly popular. The fact that many people decide to buy one is also due to the electric car bonus.

According to government figures, the new e-car bonus, which was activated in May, has so far been paid out to 100,000 applicants. Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider told the “Bild” newspaper that “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. 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 purchase and leasing of new electric cars, certain plug-in hybrids that can run on both electricity and fuel, and electric cars with so-called range extenders are eligible for funding. The latter are small combustion engines that increase the range of electric cars.

Up to 6,000 euros grant

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. The bonus only applies to private cars, not to company cars. 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.

The previous traffic light coalition made up of the SPD, Greens and FDP discontinued the previous purchase bonus at the end of 2023 in order to plug budget holes. The current federal government made up of the Union and the SPD then agreed on new purchasing incentives, especially for households with small and medium incomes.